Epic Seven: The untold story of Constella
by Life without hope
Summary: Summary: A young sorcerer who struggled with his love and he was not sure what to do. But later, he discovered more than he could imagine and made his own choice as he thought it was the best for the girl he loved, who was his childhood friend. Later, he came and experienced a whole new world.
1. Chapter 1

In a big library of Constella, the city of starlight where people worshiped the stars instead of the goddess Diche in Ritania, two persons, one in his middle-aged and one teenager were working on re-arranged the books. The older man had short silver hair with a pair of glasses, wearing full white clothes. Meanwhile, the teenager who held a bunch of books, had short black-blue hair, with an average look, wearing full red clothes with a hoodie lay down on his back. The young man seemed worrying for some reason.

"Are you worried about Elena?" the middle-aged man asked.

"I'll be a liar if I say no," the teenager answered as he sighed.

"She'll be back soon," the man took a book on the teenager's hands and placed it on a bookshelf.

"Yeah…" the teenager responded lifelessly.

"Don't you need to worry. Even though you are not her guardian anymore, she's still able to protect herself, not to mention she had two high-class sorcerers who came along with her," Elena's father reassured him.

"I still feel strange, though," the teenager struggled. "I'm aware of her position, and her job is to help the people. However, is it that much necessary for her appearance?"

"I know what you are thinking, but don't forget that the order came from the Elders. Even the High Priestess like her has to take orders from them," Elena's father said, then he asked to change the subject. "Is there any news about your parents?"

"Blank as it is." the teenagers answered sadly. "It's been six months and yet, no one has any ideas of where they are and the cause of their disappearance. It's like they vanished completely from this world."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the older man comforted him. "Until your parents come back, there is nothing we can't do to recover your position. You know the law. If a high-class priest or priestess disappears without a proper reason, their family and blood relatives will be put in a trial. And if they don't return after a while, they will be placed at the lowest class."

"I know," From the high class to the lowest class, it was a tough time for this teenager to keep his feet on the ground.

"You really like her, do you?" suddenly, from nowhere, Elena's father asked with curiosity.

"What makes you think so?" startled but calmly, the teenager asked back.

"Come on, I know you two too well. Your parents were good friends of ours before I and Elena's mom got marriage. And you both grew up together," He teased and smiled at the young man.

"Even if I do, I don't think I'm worth it, considering my place right now," the teenager responded disappointingly. "She deserves more and as a father, you think I'm worthy enough? Not to mention her thoughts on me. Your thoughts are one thing but hers are even more important. The choice belongs to her, not me or you, or anyone."

"Sometimes I wonder what your real age is. Your thought is always more mature than your look," Elena's father answered. He seemed to be interested in the young man.

"I'll take that as a compliment," the teenager looked away. "But based on what I research, there are more reasons that I don't suit her."

"And what is it?" – Elena's father asked doubtfully.

"Well… let's say. Women often like men who are… strong, both physic and mind. Or… smart, intelligent, like you. Or someone they can wholeheartedly trust their whole life. Someone they can walk together until the end of their life," the teenager answered. – "Compare to them, what do I have? And most of the time, women don't like men who are shorter or have equal height than them. At least their eyes should be equal as their partner's shoulder. Also, they look handsome and charming. Me? I'm just taller than her a little, an ordinary man, no more no less."

"I won't say I disagree with you, but I think you should believe in yourself more. Sometimes, I think your parents were right about your pessimism. You are more capable than you think," Elena's father tried to persuade the young man. "Also, things you just said are only a small part of human thoughts and feelings. Appearance often doesn't play a big role in terms of life relationships."

"Whatever you say, but I think you should consider her feelings more, and her mother's, too," the teenager responded.

"Well…"

"Al, are you there?" suddenly, the door's library slammed strong, a woman with long silver hair and wearing the white clothes rushed in. When she saw Elena's father and the teenager were together. She felt relief but not enough to keep her worrying at bay. "Thank the stars, you both here."

"What's wrong?" Elena's father asked.

"There's no time to explained," then she turned to the teenager. – "Al, listen, I need you to leave, go find Elena and protect her."

"What do you mean?" Elena's father asked worryingly.

"Do you know where I can find her?" the young man named Al seemed to understand the situation, he asked back.

"Aakhen Exile Colony. Hurry, we don't have much ti…"

"Apprentice Sorcerers Al, the Elders summoned you," suddenly, before Elena's mother was able to finish her sentence, a dozen of sorcerers and soldiers stormed in the library and tried to stop Al as he was ready to move.

Not to waste any seconds, Al turned back and ran away. He rushed to a window, before drawing a gun, shot the glass and jumped out the window, broke the glasses before landing safely on the ground. As he landed, another group of sorcerers was alerted of his escape and began pursuing him. As Al ran, he dodged their magical attacks and parkoured all the way out.

"When did he learn to use that type of weapon?" despite all the odds, Elena's father stayed calm.

"Honey, now not the time…" meanwhile, Elena's mother was anxious and worried.

"You two will have to answer it in front of the Elders," the leader of the sorcerers and soldiers were not happy with things that happened.

"Relax, we will go with you," as he said, Elena's father willed to follow their order with no resistance. Meanwhile, Elena's mother was hoping that the young man would escape Constella safely.

"Stop right there."

As the sorcerers screamed while chasing Al, he didn't show any intention to do as they said. He kept running and tried not to fight anyone. When he had no option left, he had to shoot their arms and legs to neutralize them. He didn't pack any supply so he had to conserve ammo. The gun held 20 bullets but he lost count of how many he had shot, so he always checked the magazine when he stopped and caught his breath. As he ran outside near the forest, suddenly, a large rock golem and a few smaller size ones appeared to stop him. At this moment, he knew he was in real trouble. The golem was never allowed to activate unless the Elders wanted someone dead. Looking back, the sorcerers and soldiers were nearly closed to him and he had no doubt that they wanted him killed. Suddenly, the golem attacked him. Despite the overwhelming size, the golem was really fast and Al had only a little time to casted a magic seal to defend. But it was useless against the powerful punch of the golem. When Al was hit on the air, the golem caught him and threw him to a tree. As his back slammed on the tree, he could hear his broken bones. When he landed, Al had to keep his head up. Thanks to the attack, Al was able to run into the forest despite the pain. It was a smart strategy since the golems would have a hard time pursuing him due to the thick forest, but the sorcerers and the soldiers were not about to give up that easily.

Holding his breath to sustain the pain, Al kept moving as fast as he could, while the sorcerers cast magic to attack him. A lot of trees were broken and the bushes were on fire. He understood that they wanted him dead no matter what. Suddenly, a soldier caught up with him and used his sword to slash his back. Suffering the pain, Al turned back and shot his leg, before he grabbed the soldier and shot three times right to his face, which was the last bullets. Drawing back the gun and grabbed the sword, Al kept running until he saw a waterfall, which was the end of the road. The waterfall was not high but at his condition, he was not sure if he could survive the jump. But he had no choice left. He took a deep breath and jumped down without hesitation.

"Stop," the commander of the sorcerers and soldiers gave an order. Then they looked down the waterfall. They didn't see anything.

On a corner that far away from the sight of them, Al was able to pull himself up and stayed hidden. Then, he lost his consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Waking up, Al saw himself was in a small room. Getting up, he looked around and saw a table. On it, there were many cups placed, seemed like someone prepared them for him. Feeling thirsty, he picked up and drank them one by one. After that, he realized there was a wooden stair inside the room. He thought he was inside a basement underground. He moved his body but the pain stopped him. He looked at his body just to see the whole body was bandaged. The bandage was fresh. Then, he heard something moved above him, and the door was opened. Climbing down, it was a Suin who was old and had a scar on his right eyes. His body was big as twice as Al's.

"Oh, you awoke," the old Suin spoke relievedly.

"Chief," Al realized who he was.

"How do you feel?" the chief asked.

"Hurt, but I'll be better. Where am I?" Al asked.

"Under my house," the chief looked at the table and saw the mess Al made. Then he filled water in the cups. – "Here, I brought more water."

"Thanks," Al said. "How long have I been here?"

"A month," the chief responded.

"Wait, what?" – Al was totally surprised.

"A villager found you unconscious near the river and brought you to my home. A few hours later, a group of soldiers and sorcerers came and looked for you. They weren't nice enough so no one said anything. They said that you killed a person while escaping. They also threaten if we tried to hide you but no one cared," the chief explained. – "What about you? What did you do?"

"Unsubordinated, I guess?" Al said.

"Whatever it is, you were lucky. No longer after your disappearance, a war happened in the city. Everyone was caught in the war with an Unknown and some… human beings. Even Ritania sent their troops here," the chief told and saw Al was shocked. He could not blame him. He continued. "After the war, the city was rebuilding. But surprisingly, the Elders of Constella was disbanded and charged with some crimes. Then, a High Priestess was voted to become the leader of the city. She looks young to take that responsibility."

"She'll be doing fine," after calming down, he started thinking. Only one High Priestess he knew was capable of taking that position. But it was also meant the distance between him and her was further.

"You know her?" the chief asked.

"Sort of," he answered. Suddenly, he felt something weird and touched his head. "What the heck…"

"Oh right, it was a surprise when I saw it too," the old Suin looked at his surprised face. "I have never thought you are a Suin. And they are not dog's ears, but cats' ones."

"Hold on. Why did I become this?" Al could not explain the phenomenon. He had never thought he was a Suin.

"What do you mean?" the chief did not understand what he meant.

"I mean… I am a human, but…" – Al struggled.

"I always think so. I checked but I didn't feel like you were being cursed or anything like that. Rather than that, I think you are originally a Suin," the chief remembered something and told him. "A couple of days ago, you suddenly transformed into a Suin. At first, I thought it was a spell. I investigated you and the result was the opposite. Meaning you were been cast magic that hid your real identity."

"I just… I don't know… It all happened so suddenly," Al did not know how he should react to this. But if he was a Suin, then he knew he could no longer stay in Constella.

"If I remember right, your parents have never mentioned anything about your birth. We also thought you were their blood son," the chief thought carefully and suggested. "Maybe if we search your home, we might find a clue. But without your permission, I haven't done it yet."

"Then let's go," Al forced himself up. He needed to find out the answer. Seeing how determined he was, the chief did not hesitate to help him.

It was nightfall and the village was sleeping. This village stayed far from the main city of Constella. In the middle of the village, a simply designed house was placed. Around the house were other houses of the villagers. When both Al and the Suin chief stepped inside the house, they saw one living room, and two doors led to bedrooms. The left room was Al's room, while the others were his parents' room. They agreed to search for his parents' bedroom first. They opened the door and Al felt warm. He did not remember how many times he entered this room when he was a young boy. They searched the bed, the floor, and cloth wardrobe, and had nothing. When the Suin investigated the walls, he felt strange and suspicious. Then he used his hands and surfed the surface until he touched a small slit which was hard to see without searching carefully. He used his strength and successfully opened a small cabinet. He then called Al and they all looked inside. Inside the cabinet, they saw two notes. They opened and read and realized they were diaries belonged to Al's parents. They skimmed the diaries before the chief saw a page.

"December 24th, me and my husband were taking a walk near the forest. Suddenly, we heard something, like a cry, a baby's cry. We felt worried if someone left their child in the forest and decided to investigate. It did not take long to find the source of the crying. We were shocked to see a newborn baby crying helplessly and lonely in the middle of the cold forest. We felt angry at those who left him to die but then we thought it might have a reason behind. Regardless, we could not let this baby here, so we took him in. However, on the way back, we found out he was a Suin. It was prohibited the Suin race or non-human beings to enter the so-called holy city. But it did not stop us taking care of him."

"The baby was left hungry and he also had a high fever when we found him. We could not take sleep as long as his health was in a bad state. Poor baby. He was in pain and we were helpless to ease him. Fortunately, after a few days, he slept and ate well. We were so happy to see him sleep peacefully. He looked so cute and innocent, especially his ears and tail. We could sit for hours to play with them."

"The hardest part was to hide his identity. We did not care what happened to us but if anyone knew his appearance, he would be killed. After a long discussion, we decided to use a transformed potion to make him become a normal human, and we raised him. I had never seen my husband this brightness when he was taking care of him. We could not have children, and then Al, our son, stepped into our life. It was like the stars listened to our wish, and gave him to us. However, the transformed potion had a limited time effect. Al had to drink one potion every month. If we are careful, no one could ever discover his real identity and we did not intend to be that careless. We will do what we can to protect him, even if we have to lie to everyone."

It was bittersweet for Al to take and the Suin chief decided to let him have his time. He looked sad but also proud. The chief kept reading the diary and he found the moment when they took his village in. Back at that time, the Suin people were seeking for a refugee. They scattered all over the Orbis. Al's parents decided to help despite being expelled from the city. Knowing what they did for them, the chief and his people were appreciated to them. The diary also said that one day, the Suin village would become a part of Constella, as Al's parents believed every life was equal. However, they struggled to persuade the people of Constella since they hated every non-human being. But they also had hope that one day, Constella would accept and welcome them. If possible, they wished that Al would become the bridge that connected two races. The last page of the diaries took placed around 7 months ago. Then the chief realized it was the time Al's parents disappeared. Without saying, the whole village helped Al to find his parents without any payback, but the result was nothing.

"I think… I will leave for a while." – After a long time of thinking carefully, Al said to the chief village.

"May I ask why," the chief asked.

"Staying here won't do anything good, if not worse. As you know, Constella prohibits those who are not the human race. To let you stay here, my parents accepted to be expelled from the city and live here with you. Even though they can keep their ranks, it still leaves a bad reputation on them. Now, if they find out they have raised and kept a Suin inside the city for so long, they will get the death sentence without a trial. And in the worst-case scenario, you and everyone else will be expelled. I cannot let it happen. That's why I decided to leave the city, let things worn out," Al explained

"What makes you think they will accept us?" understanding his intention, the chief asked.

"If the High Priestess I know is in charge of the city, sooner or later, she will be able to persuade the people to accept and welcome you in. You won't have to be seen as an outcast or a disease anymore, but a citizen of Constella. It will take time, but things will change in a good way," Ai explained.

"If you believe in her that much, then we will hope for the best. We also wish the best for you and your parents," the chief said faithfully.

Later, Al returned to his room. He opened a secret door under the floor before he pulled out a chest full of equipment. He changed his clothes to a black one, reloaded his gun, carried a rifle with scope and loaded clips on his belt. When he got out of the house, the Suin chief was waiting for him. He said goodbye to him. For Al, he had things he wanted to do before he left Constella.

When he sneaked into the city, he saw broken walls and houses everywhere. The citizens were inside temporary tents while guards were keeping order and patrolling the city. Al predicted it would take a few times before the city was rebuilding completely, but it would be even longer for the change of the heart of the citizens. Out of his expectation, he saw a familiar face which made him happy. A young girl who had long silver hair was patrolling along with the guards. Wherever she went, everyone was happy and relieved, as she spoke with them. Suddenly, she felt off and he rushed to her, then he stopped. A young man who had short purple hair and wore green clothes appeared and caught her. After that, they had a joyful chat and she seemed to be happy around him. At that moment, he realized he had no place in this city anymore. It was over.

In a large room, Elena's mother was working with the help of Elena's father. On the table where she sat in front of, it was a huge mess with many papers on it. Some empty cups were on there as well. Behind her, Elena's father brought some more teacups to her.

"You still working?" Elena's father asked gently while giving her a teacup.

"Just a little more, there is so much paperwork needed to be done. However, I can get off the feeling that I forgot something. I hope those papers will jog it out. On the other side, I can't believe the Elders killed so many people out of our sights," Elena's mother answered.

"That could be the answer to some strangely disappeared citizens," Elena's father added.

"And we thought they were lost…" suddenly, Elena's mother realized something. "For the star's sake, how could I forget Al? We need to send out a party to find him."

"No need for that," Al entered the room and surprised the two of them.

"Oh goodness, you are still safe." Elena's mother hugged Al. "I'm so sorry, so many things happened and I…"

"It's okay, I understand. I'm glad that you all are safe too," Al released her.

"But how can you enter here under the patrol?" Elena's mother asked before she looked at his cat's ears. "And what are they?"

"I just found out that I'm a Suin disguised as a human being," he responded.

"So you know it," Elena's father stayed calm as he knew this day would come. "We are sorry to hide it from you."

"It's for my sake, I know," Al said.

"Wait, hold on… a sec. Can you two explain to me what is going on here?" Elena's mother was lost during the conversation.

"May I?" Elena's father looked for Al's permission, and he nodded. "Al's parents could never have a child. And one day, they found Al nearly dead in a forest. Despite the strict law of Constella, they risked everything to keep, protect and raise him. Only his parents and I know the truth. Each month, Al needed to take a transformed potion that disguised him as a human. We lied that he got a permanent disease and he had to take the potion every month."

"As long as I stay here, everyone will know the truth and it can lead to many problems, so I decided to leave," Al added.

"Hold on, why?" Elena's mother asked.

"You know that Constella doesn't allow the non-human race to live inside the city, right? If they find out that his parents lied and hid a Suin inside the city for many years, they will be given a death sentence. But I guess they already got that," Elena's father explained.

"What do you mean?" both Elena's mother and Al were surprised.

"I recognized one of many victims of the Elders were Al's parents. From what I investigated, they accepted the death sentence as long as the Elders and the Constellans left Al and the Suin villages alone. I didn't think it was the right time to tell you and I had no idea where Al was, so I intended to keep this secret as long as possible," Elena's father said

"It's just… insane. How could they do that?" Elena's mother could not speak out anything while Al remained silent.

"Because the last thing we need is another bloodshed. For centuries and centuries, the Constellans have slaughtered thousands or millions of beings who are not human beings. Don't be fooled by the fantasy propaganda the Elders give you. To them, non-human races are nothing but worthless trash that is needed to be eradicated from this world. They raised so many "holy wars" in the past, lying from generation to generation, for their own garbage ego. Knowing this dark history, Al's parents decided to change the Constellan's mind, to let them know that the human race is not the only ones deserve a better future. It is what they are fighting for until the end of their lives. I shared their visions and supported them as I could while playing as a loyal dog of the Elders. However, even when the Elders were taken down, it will need a long time for the Constellans to change," Elena's father let out his disappointment.

"Can you please keep this secret from Elena, including my disappearance? But it will be better if she knows that I was dead," Al then asked for a favor.

"We don't have to do that. I'm sure the citizens will change and you don't have to leave this city," Elena's mother persuaded Al.

"You cannot change things that have been rooted for hundreds of years. We can only do it slowly, and I'm not even sure if they will change or not. But I will fight for a better future. We can do it as long as we don't lose our faith. But right now, I understand why Al has to leave. We have to let him go, it is for Elena's sake, too. She is now the symbol of this city and if they find out that she is closed to a Suin, an insect living in the city for many years…" after Elena's father speaking, the three of them remained silent. Then Elena's father looked at Al asked. "Did you find Elena?"

"Yes, along with someone friendly," Al was even sadder.

"Oh…" – Elena's father realized what happened.

"I'm sure she will be happy. Thank you for everything." Al said and decided to leave.

"Wait…" Elena's mother tried to stop him.

"Sir, Madam, I'm sorry but you have to come out here. It's an emergency," suddenly, a sorcerer stormed in and interrupted them.

"What happened?" staying calm, Elena's father asked.

"We spotted an army outside of our city. From what we saw, it must be the remnants of the Elders. They are seeking revenge for them," the soldier answered.

"Al, can you…" Elena's mother looked at where he was standing, but he left without letting anyone knew.

"Madam?" the sorcerer asked.

"Nothing. We have to prepare a defense line. Alarm everyone, now," Elena's father told the soldier.

As Elena's father commanded, the city was woken up. All sorcerers and soldiers were appointed on the city wall. Elena and her friend were coming with them. From afar, they could see the enemy was ready to attack. Holding the line, everyone was prepared for a clash. Suddenly, the attackers acted strangely, they started being confused and looked out for something. Elena's father took a binocular. He then saw some men on the horses and ground were fallen down. Later, it looked like they were being killed from a far distance. He only knew one type of weapon which was capable to do that. But it would need good marksmanship. He looked around but he could not find anyone. However, seeing the opportunity, Elena's father decided to attack rather defending. It did not take long to finish the battle with the surrender of the attackers.


	3. Chapter 3

Lying on the south of Perland city was Aakhen, a city that was recovering from a war one month ago. To keep the city safe from criminals or any potential threats, the city lord, named Furious ordered the soldiers and sorcerers to patrol around the city. There was a patrol team which led by a young gunman who had short black hair, wearing a black tank top and a dark green cape, was walking around the city. When he and his team were patrolling, a soldier approached him.

"Sir Pavel, a person wants to meet you," the soldier said.

"Did that persona say their name?" the young man asked.

"Yes, he called himself Al," the soldier answered.

"Al? I'm coming." Recognizing the friendly name, Pavel told the patrol team to keep doing their works, while he followed the soldier. Later, he met the Suin from Constella in a small park.

"Yo," Sitting on a wooden bench, Al waved his hand to his friend and they started having chat.

"Where have you been?" Pavel seemed worried but relieved at the same time. He then asked. "And how did you know I'm here?"

"I went to Perland City. I thought you were still with the Raiders but when I came there, some guards gave me a chase, before I was helped by a former Raider. He told me I would find you in Aakhen. What happened back there?" Al explained and asked.

"Long story but I can tell you that Perland Raider is now in the past," Pavel responded.

"It seemed like martial-law was put in use, and the citizens were very stressful. Guards and patrols everywhere. The former Raider told me that Perland lost a war a month ago so I quite understood the atmosphere," Al told Pavel the stressful situation back in Perland.

"You're right. Things were rough a month ago and right now, I can say we can have a little peace. Even so, we have to be cautious about any movement from Perland. How are you? I feel a bit strange about you. And what are those things on your head?" Pavel spoke while looking on Al's head.

"Long story. Just know that I'm originally a Suin, not a human being," Al responded.

"What do you mean?" Pavel was surprised and then Al told him what he found out. After hearing the story, Pavel felt sorry when Al lost his parents. "I'm... sorry about your parents."

"Thank you," Al smiled but Pavel could see the sadness in it.

"So… if you are a Suin, then you no longer live in Constella," Realizing another problem, Pavel said.

"Don't bother it. What about you? I can say you have a few changes here," Al looked at Pavel and asked.

"Well…" Pavel struggled and he wondered if Al knew something.

"Sir, the Administrator has come," a guard said to Pavel.

"Sorry for being late. Who's that?" A blue short hair young girl came to Pavel. Her hair had a piece of white hung in front. She was holding a magic staff and Al thought she was a mage. But hearing the word "Administrator" made him thing this girl was more than it. Seeing Pavel was talking with Al, she asked.

"Cerise, this is Al, a friend of mine from Constella. Al, this is Cerise," Pavel introduced them to each other.

"Oh, you're from Elena's city. Nice to meet you," Cerise welcomed Al warmly and gave her hands towards him.

"Please to meet you," Al shook her hand and responded politely. But when he heard the name "Elena", he felt a bit sad but he could not let both them saw it.

"Please don't be that polite. If you are Pavel's friend, then you're my friend too," Cerise smiled and was surprised to see his cat ears. "Oh, you are a Suin. It must be tough living in Constella."

"Don't bother with it. Thank you for taking care of Pavel," Al smiled back.

"Hey, I'm not a child needed to be taken care of." hearing that, Pavel opposed him annoyingly.

"Then why did you come to Perland? And when you came here, did she help you to find a place to stay?" Al smirked. Knowing Pavel, he knew there must a reason why Pavel, who always had a huge love for Perland, to come here.

"Oh, right, that's…" Pavel lost the argument within a second.

"Anyway, I need your help. Here," while Cerise was smiling while looking at Pavel struggled, Al gave to Pavel his broken rifle.

"What happened?" Pavel asked with Cerise's doubt.

"I supposed you know Constella was attacked recently, right? I sneakily joined a part on it and while I was firing, the barrel of the gun blew off. Fortunately, the Constellan still won," Al told them.

"If I remember correctly, no Suin is allowed to join the Constella's troops. If I meet Elena, I will make sure she will acknowledge your part," Cerise assured him.

"Thank you but no need for that," Al refused the offer. He then said. "I would be appreciated if you don't mention anything about me on her. I have a reason behind so please don't ask for the details."

"Well… if you insist..." Cerise was surprised but she had to respect his choice. She looked at Pavel and he went along with Al.

"It was a prototype and I expected it would be broken at some point. But how was its performance?" Back to Al's gun, Pavel asked.

"It was good as we expected. The accuracy was very high even in from a far distance. However, the barrel seemed to heat up easily and the chamber often jammed. I shot around 20-25 bullets before the gun blew off," Al gave the details specifically.

"Alright, leave it to me. I'll make sure to give you the perfect gun. But did you try to cast magic on the bullet when you fired?" Pavel continued.

"No. I was not even sure if it worked so I didn't try it. But it means you succeeded, right?" Al doubted

"Yeah. Want to try?" Pavel suggested.

Later, the three of them came to an open place which was set to be a shooting range for the training of the city. Everyone was sent to rebuild the city and the shooting range was empty. Pavel gave Al his weapon. It was a special gun looked like a sword. It had the grip but the barrel was attached to it while a blade was placed below the barrel. A unique weapon Pavel created for himself.

"It is simple as you cast spells on swords, spears, arrows, and else, so it has no difference with bullets. However, when I tried the first time, the bullet blew up along with the barrel. Simply because the gun powder and magic spell were not a good combination. I amplified and adjusted so it has no issue right now," Pavel explained while Al checked his weapon.

"How the heck can you aim with this thing?" Al tried to aim the weapon as he wielded a gun, but the grip did not fit for it. "Honestly, it looks like it is used for close combat rather than long-range."

"I know, but it is my fighting style. Bear with it a little. It is important because I have to do the same with your gun too," Pavel explained.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Al tried to aim the gun again and said.

As Al tried to aim, he cast a red small magic seal on the barrel. He was not satisfied enough and he put two more. He had faith in Pavel and he decided to go all out. Then, a small red orb appeared at the end of the barrel. Pavel and Cerise were holding their breath and waiting for the result, the same as Al.

-BANG-

Suddenly, the weapon exploded, resulting in Al's face was caught in the whole explosion. His face was bleeding and painful. Pavel and Cerise quickly aided him. Thanks to Cerise's healing magic, the bleeding was stopped but Al's right face was burned badly. The two of them carried him to the nearest medical stop and had the doctor taking care of him. Thankfully, the wound was not deadly but his face was burnt badly. The doctor also added it would leave a big scar.

"How do you feel?" after a while, Al got himself up and had his face bandaged. While helping him, Pavel asked concernedly.

"It hurts, but I'll be fine," Al responded. He did not want to worry him.

"Get some rest, okay?" Pavel reminded him.

"Pavel," before Pavel left, Al spoke to him. "Don't make her sad."

"I'll do my best." Pavel did not fully understand what he meant. However, he still took it as a reminder.

"How is he?" Cerise asked worriedly when she saw Pavel.

"He'll be fine. Thanks to you, the wound was not serious. But it will take a while for him to recover and his face... was burnt very bad," Pavel said sadly.

"I see..." Cerise felt sorry for Al. She wondered. "I still don't get it, though. That weapon was customized to use magic without any fault, yet it happened to him."

"True, but it was customized for me, not for him. I can use my full power without a problem." Pavel tried to connect all the clues.

"Wait, doesn't it mean…" Cerise doubted.

"I doubt it, too, and now I have the answer. His magic potential is far surpassed me. My weapon couldn't sustain his power and that was why it blew off." Pavel sighed but he had hope. "The past month must get him the best. He deserves to rest right now. I think I will tell you about what happened to him. Do you want to hear it?"

"I would love to. When I mentioned Elena, he seemed to be sad. I also have never heard she mentioned anything about him. We were all busy dealing with lots of problems and if she suddenly forgot him, I can see why. Regardless, she now takes the responsibility of Constella. She must be even busier." Cerise said.

"According to him, his family was a traditional guardian of the High Priest and Priestess of Constella from each generation. It was why they had to train hard when they were young. Around seven months ago, Al's parents disappeared without a trace. He tried to find them but they were killed by the Elders. They made a deal. Al is a Suin disguised as a normal human for a long time. If the Constellan found out, he would be killed. His parents sacrificed their lives to save him. In the end, he decided to leave in order to not let the High Priestess get involved in him."

"Oh my…" Cerise was surprised and could not say anything. She felt sad for Al and wondered how much pain for him to bear all it. "It must be tough for him."

"I know. But it is why I admire him. Different than me, he has the quick thinking and understanding abilities even in the hardest situations. He is mature, calm, focus and collective than me. Sometimes, I feel jealous of him because of how excellent he is. But then, he said that he admired me too. I have what he doesn't have. When I asked him why and he said that everyone in this world has their own strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect, and that is why we should support each other for the best result. It was what his parents taught him. If there is a thing I don't like about him, I will say he is too pessimistic. You can see him smile but he barely shows his sadness to anyone else, as he rarely has anyone to talk to," Pavel explained more about Al's background.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Cerise asked.

"Hm… let's see. He once said he didn't like the crowded and noisy, but I saw him lurking inside a festival, running around the whole place and tried everything he saw," Pavel said.

"Festival? Ah, then it will be easy. In the next couple of weeks, we will hold a cultural exchange with the students from Reingar. Do you remember Ras Elclare and Tamarinne? It is said that he and the Head of Student Council of Reingar will come here." Cerise seemed to be interested in the event.

"The Heir of the Covenant? I know him. I also heard that Reingar has a bunch of weird stuff. The machine things walking on two legs and shot everything we saw back then was just a small piece of the floating ice. But what about the City Lord?" Pavel concerned.

"You know him. "Do what you want", he said," Cerise smiled and said.

"Then let's do it," Pavel felt relieved and hopeful.


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks later, above the sky, a hot air balloon ship transporting the students from Reingar towards Aakhen city. They were all excited for the Valentine festival, which was suggested by Yuna, the high school girl who was sent from the Earth world, who later became the Head of the Student Council. Going with her was Karin, a young girl who was as the same age as her and wielding a katana; Captain Rikoris, who never left his spear behind; Hazel, a young and beautiful girl hiding a side that no one wanted to mess with; Ras Esclare, the Heir of the Covenant, a young man who wore a full white clothes and wielding a sword. Staying by his side was a young girl with short and light purple hair, Mercedes. Together, they were waiting for the event. However, Ras seemed a bit off compared to the other.

"Are you okay, Ras?" Mercedes asked worryingly when she looked at his face.

"I'm okay, don't worry," Ras reassured her when he looked at her expression. "There is something I want to tell you. Remember when I awoke after being stabbed by Straze?" He asked and she nodded. Ras continued. "When we came to Constella, I felt a small but weak power that was similar to Arky, Zeaon, and Cromcruz. But we had a war back then so I had to let it slide. But when the war was over, that power disappeared."

"Are you saying a guardian was killed?" Mercedes asked.

Ras shooked his head. "I don't know, or rather I'm not sure. That's why I want to come to Constella again to investigate it. Also, not always a guardian needs to be killed, if they go to sleep, their power will be hidden too." He explained. "We never know when the next war will happen. If there is a chance we can find another guardian, then it will be better if they go along with us."

Suddenly, a man who had two color eyes and one part of his face was covered by dark skin, appeared next to Ras. He was Yuna's guardian, named Karzan. He spoke to both of them. "Actually, I think we can find it soon,"

"What do you mean? Oh, wait…" Ras asked before he felt something strange and similar.

"You feel it too, right?" Karzan asked. "Just like Ritania, Cidonia had some dormant guardians. One of them already awakens."

"Even so, you seem worried." Ras looked at Karzan's expression and asked doubtfully.

"I'm hoping that "guardian" hasn't been awakened yet. If he did, we can only hope for the best, otherwise, another battle is inevitable," Karzan answered. They looked at his face and saw his unsecured expression.

"But why? I thought guardians are supposed to protect everyone from bad things?" Mercedes wondered.

"This "guardian" is different," Karzan commented. "He can be good but can also be a catastrophe. His ability is controlling delusions and manipulating people's minds. Arkasus, Zaeon, and Cromcruz are both magic and physic attackers, but when it comes to mind and psychology battle, rarely anyone can best him," he explained.

"It's really strange. I've never heard of any guardian like him," Ras questioned.

"That is because every battle about him is completely wiped out from everyone's memory," Karzan answered. "Whenever he is defeated, he will release powerful energy and affect everyone's mind. It will also restore everything, even dead people will live again as nothing happens. You can consider it is like a dream," Karzan gave out more information.

"But it only happens when he is "bad", right?" Ras asked hopefully.

"Technically, yes," Karzan nodded.

"I didn't think such a guardian exists. But I feel sad for him, though. Die lonely without anyone knows he even exists." Ras was totally surprised when he heard of this guardian. He then asked Karzan. "But if he can wipe out everyone's memory, why you can remember him?"

"I can control time, right? I can look at the past so his energy can't affect me. Every time he dies, he will reincarnate to a newborn baby. Different than me, other guardians and you, he can only live in a few decades each time. The last time he died and reincarnated was around 20 years ago," Karzan felt sad when he told them the story. He continued. "If the time is right, I guess he will be in his 18 or 19 right now."

"He can be an ally, right?" Thinking hard, Ras looked at Karzan and suggested. "I think if it is him, we should find him as soon as possible, see what we can do to stop his corruption."

Ras did give out a few reasonable points and Karzan thought that he could be right. He then commented. "I think so but we should be careful."

After a few minutes of thinking, Mercedes had and idea. She spoke to Yuna's guardian. "Karzan, if you can see the past, can you please look for the cause of his corruption? If we know the cause, maybe we can stop it."

"Great idea. But we have to find him before I can do that." Karzan considered her suggestion. He agreed and praised her.

Understanding what Mercedes wanted to find out, Ras smiled at her and said. "Okay, then let's do it. Since Zaeon and Cromcruz can't come here, I, you and Arky will search for him. Arky…" He looked around to find something. "Where is he?"

"He is sleeping on Miss Tamarine's lap, and she is stroking his fur." Mercedes pointed to a direction where the "Arky", an animal who had light blue fur and his belly had white fur. He had a small dog ear on his head. This guardian of Ras was sleeping on a young girl's laps, who had black hair and wore a long dark-green dress.

Back in Aakhen, despite the city had not been completely rebuilding, everyone was excited about the new festival. Two days ago, a group of people from Reingar had come and brought some equipment for the festival. They started building a large stage, positioning the speaker and preparing the lights. For them, it was not something new but for the Aakhen's citizens, they did not understand the new weird stuff they were working on. Meanwhile, Al, the young Suin whose right face was covered in a white bandage, was walking around the place to explore the new things. He was curious just like the other Aakhen's citizens. Then, he saw a group of children who were chasing and kicking a small curve thing. He also saw a man who seemed to look after the children and he was from Reingar as well.

"Why don't you give one for each of them, so they don't fight over it?" – Al watched the children and asked the man.

The man seemed to be not surprised by Al's question, as if he was asked many times before. "You don't know? It's a new sport from Reingar. Lots of students like it and we are deciding to hold an event for it every year. The game is called "soccer" or "football"." He answered.

"So how is it played?" Al asked politely and curiously.

"First, you split them into two teams, then you set up two goals," the Reingar citizen explained friendly while he pointed to the children. "Each team has to score the ball, which is what they are trying to take, into the goal of the other side. You can kick and use the head to hit the ball to the goal, but using hands is prohibited. Only the goalkeepers are allowed to use hand to stop the ball to be scored in their goal. The game will be set in a limited time and which team score more will be the winner. But it is acceptable if the match is drawn."

"I see. It seems interested." Al said.

"Hey, stop!" suddenly, a kid was being fouled by another kid, so the man had to step in before he returned to Al. He explained. "Foul play is also prohibited too. If it is serious, a player can be forced to leave the game."

"It should be." Al nodded.

"If you're interested, you can…" the man turned to Al just to see him stand next to a woman, who was selling ice-cream in a stall. The children and some girls seemed to like it and the man was surprised at how fast Al was.

"Welcome. How may I serve you?" seeing Al, the woman greeted him.

"May I ask what are you selling? I have never seen anything like this before." Al looked at the box she was standing behind.

"Ah, it's called ice-cream," seeing Al was trying to understand, the woman explained. "It is dessert and a sweet, starting from Reingar, every city in Ritania always has at least one or two shops selling it," she said.

"So how do you make it?" Al asked curiously while he looked at the multi-colored ice creams.

"It is a combination of milk, cream, and a variety of ingredients, such as strawberry, blueberry, grapes, cacao, chocolate, etc. We put it in one or many square shapes, then we freeze them by using ice surrounded the shapes. To keep the ice cream from melting, we put them to a bigger box like you see. The box is made of steel to keep the low temperature," the woman smiled friendly while explaining to Al.

"But how do you make ice in summer? Ice spells?" he wondered.

"That's the right answer. But the seller doesn't need to be an ice magician," the woman said.

"I see. Thank you. I would like to buy a… chocolate one, please?" after the explanation, Al thought he would try one.

"Here you are," the woman prepared for him a cup of cold and sweet chocolate and before she gave him a small wooden spoon, she reminded him nicely. "Don't eat too much even in summer, or you will get a sore throat. And don't throw the spoon. You can wash and use it again the next time you buy another ice cream."

"Thank you, I'll remember it," he looked at the wooden spoon and nodded.

Afterward, Cerise and Pavel came to Al. Pavel commented. "It's good that you have a lot of fun."

Seeing Al was holding a box of ice cream, Cerise asked interestingly. "So... you finally taste that wonderful dessert. How is it?"

"Over expectation," Al answered while he was tasting the ice cream.

"I know, right?" Looking at Al's smile, Cerise was excited and even bought a cup of strawberry ice cream at the stall where Al bought his. After she tasted her ice cream, Cerise spoke to Al joyfully. "At first, I thought it would taste weird but the sweet, the cold, it was perfect. But Pavel doesn't like them."

"It's too sweet for me, but if it is bitter a bit and less sweet, then I'll be good," Pavel explained and he seemed to be embarrassed when Cerise lovely criticized him.

"Then the coffee should be good for you. I kinda like it, too." Hearing that, Al thought for a second and said.

"Oh, that bitter drink." Cerise was surprised to hear them like that drink. "I wish it is a bit sweeter."

"You can mix sugar and milk, depend on your taste," Al said. "Both of them fine but I'd prefer milk because I don't like the bitter much," he added.

"Ah right, but if you mix too much milk, then the color looks funny, like…" Cerise stopped but she knew she did not have to explain.

When they were having fun chatting together, Pavel remembered something. He looked at Al and said. "By the way, I want to remind you something. I know that you want to learn but recently, we had a lot of complaints from the Reingar's people, about a Suin man who came, asked them a few questions and disappeared without a trace or sound, which scared them a lot. They all thought you were a ghost and else."

"Oh.. Uhm…" Al did not think his actions would cause so much trouble. He scratched his head and said. "Sorry, I will be careful next time." He apologized for what he did.

"But it is a surprise that your movement is incredible," Cerise commented surprisingly.

"Not really. When people are distracted, you use that chance to getaway. It was a part of our training, right?" Al looked at Pavel.

"Yeah, when it comes to in and exfiltration, no one can beat you," Pavel nodded.

"The same with your tracking and navigation skills," Al commented back.

"Hey, Uhm…" when the three of them were having fun, Cerise was suddenly turned down. She looked at Al and asked. "Elena will come here when the festival begins. Do you want to meet her?"

Hearing the question, Al remained silent. After a long and sad breath, he asked Cerise. "Does she come with her parents? Or alone?"

"With Ray, a doctor who helped her before and after the war..." Cerise responded. She could clearly see the sadness in his face.

"I see..." Al looked away.

"I really think you should meet her," Cerise suggested and hoped that he would do what she said.

"Why do I need to?" Al sighed but that doctor made him curious and wondered if he was a good man for Elena or not. He asked. "Do you know about this… "Ray" doctor?"

Even he was very sad at this moment, and so did Cerise, she did not want to hide anything from him. She answered. "He is a doctor working in Exhale Aakhen Colony. He is famous for curing lots of patients without money. On the way back to Constella, Elena met him and was supported by him. After the war, they seem closer…" Cerise added more but she stopped. She realized the more she told, the sadder Al was. After a long silence, she suggested. "If you love her, then you should confess to her."

"I love her doesn't mean she has to respond to my feelings. Everyone has their own choice. How can I force her to choose me instead of someone else she wants to be with?" Al explained painfully and squeezed his fists. He was so jealous of that doctor but he could not show it out.

Hearing that, Cerise tried to reason with him but she could not come up with an idea. She stuttered. "But..."

"Please, can we stop here?" Al begged Cerise and she had to. Then, he left while Cerise and Pavel looked at his back.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking on the street, despite the noise and loud workings from everywhere, Al did not let them interfere with his thoughts. His mind started being heavy, full of sadness, depression, pain, and despair. He could not deny what Cerise said. He loved Elena, but he knew she did not have to answer his feelings. She had her own choice of choosing her life partner, and it obviously was not him, not to mention their positions were different. He knew the consequences and he could not let it affect her. Clearing his mind, Al decided to enjoy the festival. Seeing the new things from Reingar, he wanted to learn more about them. He even thought he would come to Reingar one day.

When he was watching the preparation, he saw some odd people mumbling from a hidden corner of the city. He kept walking and pretended not to see them. When he got close enough, he could hear their conversation.

"What kind of dark magic and stuff they bring here?"

"I know. They even have a light that doesn't need oil to fuel."

"And what is inside those black boxes? When they speak, the voice is loud and looks like not coming from this world."

"You think the city lord is trying to summon something?"

"I don't think so. From what I heard, it was his daughter who wanted to hold something. It is made from Ritania."

"Aside from those weird things, they also make some strange foods. It's cold and sweet but the children and the teenagers really like them. My children asked me to buy them every day. Do you think they are trying to control us?"

"Definitely. I heard that there are a lot of monsters from Ritania, Assdemon or something, they can disguise as human and they hunt people when night falls."

"Is it that much dangerous? If that so, why the city lord doesn't say anything?"

"Probably he got brided. Maybe we will eventually become their foods."

"Oh god, is our doom coming?"

All that type of gossips only gave Al a smirk on his face. Citizens of Aakhen were scared of nothing. Funnier, they did not try to find out if it was truly dangerous or it was just a harmless rumor. It seemed they had a conservative mind, the type of people who rarely learned and accepted the new. They scared of the modern technology coming from Reingar, just like people of Constella scared of the Suin because they thought they were a disease. But Al knew he should not underestimate their conservation. It could lead to a bad ending. He tried to hear more and saw if any one of them tried to do anything or not. He saw some suspicious individuals and groups gathering together. Some of them were even spreading false rumors.

Inside a small restaurant, Al was gathering information from people who sat around him, hanging out and eating together. Suddenly, two Suins came to him. One had a big body, like twice or triple compared to him. He had brown furs and had two curve shields protecting his shoulders. And the one who asked him politely was another Suin who wore sand-color cloths and wielding a green staff, he looked like a mage than a warrior, comparing to his fellow friend.

"Excuse me, can we sit here?" the Suin who wore sand clothes asked Al politely

They were the same race and Al did not mind to sit with them. He gave out his hand and said. "Sure," When he looked at him, he was not sure if he did see them before. He asked. "Are you two new here?"

"Yes, we came from Ritania," the big Suin guy responded. He then said. "There will be a festival here and we got invited by our friends. We think it would be nice to share the fun with them."

"We haven't seen other Suins around here. It is really nice to meet you. My name is Jecht and this big guy is Cartuja," the Suin named Jecth nicely introduced both of them to Al.

Reaching out his hand to them and shaking hands together, the young Suin responded generously. "Al, nice to meet you."

"So Al, where are you from?" After the short introduction, Cartuja asked curiously.

"I'm from Constella," Al answered but he knew he had to warn them about that city. "However, I suggest you should not come there. It is not a friendly city for us Suin."

"Did something bad happen there?" Jecht wondered.

"Not really. It's just the citizens of Constella who don't like our race much," Al explained. "And from the past, they raised many "holy wars" and tried to eradicate us. Recently, they tone it down but I still want to warn you."

"Well… thank you for your warning. We will be careful." Seeing Al was serious, Cartuja believed and take Al's advice.

"A bit off of topic but… do you know a doctor named Ray?" Jecht asked.

Hearing that name paused Al a second but he kept his calmness and asked. "Sort of, are you looking for him?"

"I heard he is a talented doctor, who is born from a noble family. But he gave up his noble identity and comes to Aakhen and treat people without money. I wish to learn medicine from him so I can use what I learn to treat other Suins and everyone else." Jecht answered hopefully.

"I heard that he will come here in the next couple of days. He will join the festival, too. I think you will meet him here." Al still kept calm and answered.

"Oh, that's great. Thank you." Jecht said. Looking at his bandaged face, he asked worriedly. – "By the way, may I ask what happened to your face?"

"This? I got into an accident while trying a new weapon," Al responded.

"Weapon"? Are you a researcher or an inventor?" Cartuja asked.

"No. I was testing it with my friend and things went unexpectedly," Al answered

"It will leave a big scar. Can you please let me cure it for you?" Jecht suggested.

Did not want to trouble him, Al refused politely."Oh, don't mind it, thank you for your care."

"Please, I want to help," despite that, Jecht insisted.

Seeing how Jecht was serious about helping him, Al had to give up. "Well, if you like. Please do," after that, Jecht stood up, held his staff and cast a small green spell on Al's right face. He could feel a cool and friendly wind blowing on his face.

"We're done. It will be itchy for the first day, but on the second day, you can remove the bandage," Jecht sat down and said. "After that, you just have to strip off the dead skin."

"Thank you, I appreciated it," Al nodded.

"Please don't bother it. I'm a doctor and my duty is to help the sick and the wounded. It's always a good thing when we can help each other," Jecht smiled.

"Haha, alright, when the job is done, why don't we go for a drink. Waiter, bring here three big cups full of beers." Cartuja laughed loudly and shouted.

"Here we go again." Jecht sighed.

"What is "beer"?" curiously, Al asked.

Jecht felt weird when Al knew nothing about this drink. "It's a drink from Reingar. It is like wine but lighter, however, drink too much and you still get drunk from it," He explained when the waiter brought out two large cups of beer. Jecht was surprised when Al looked at them curiously.

"Cheese, for our new friend Al." Cartuja laughed loudly and drunk the big cup in a few seconds. Jecht also took a slip and Al was hesitating if he should drink or not. After he had tried, Cartuja asked joyfully. – "How does it taste? Very good, right?"

"It's…. gross," Al responded without a second thought.

"Your taste has a problem. I don't think there is a single person in Orbis can say it's gross. Are you so scared of this magnificent drink?" suddenly, Cartuja stood up and screamed annoyingly. "Come on, I challenge you. We will drink until one is down." It's clear that Cartuja was not satisfied with Al's response.

"Stop it, Cartu…" Jecht tried to stop Cartuja.

"Like I scare. Bring it on." Al stood up and accepted the challenge.

"A…Al?" Seeing how Al reacted, Jecht lost his words.

Later, the waiter brought many cups of beer, both Cartuja and Al drunk one by one in the cheers from others. When other Suins and humans came in, they saw the battle and joined in cheering them both. When the battle ended, Cartuja collapsed on the floor in the surprise of the others, except the winner.

Even they drunk like a dozen cups, Al was able to keep his conscious but he still felt his head was heavy. He looked at Cartuja and asked. "That's all?"

Suddenly, an Elf, who had white hair and tan skin. He was wielding a staff and wearing a black coat which had some yellow line on it. Seeing the competition and the winner as well as the loser, he commented joyfully while looking at the young Suin. "It seemed they went overhead of us."

"Basar? So you came." Jecht knew this man and greeted him.

"Hi, Jecht." A young-looking girl, who had long blonde hair and was also an Elf, greeted Jecht. She wore green clothes and had a bow on her back. Seeing Cartuja was laying on the ground, she was surprised and even poked his nose a few times. "Wow, I didn't think someone could win Cartuja in a drinking battle," she commented.

"Oh and this is Al, the winner. Al, this is Basar and Silk." Jecht quickly introduced Al to them.

The Elf named Basar looked at Al while he was being cheered by others. "What a surprise you made here. I'm Basar," he came closer to Al and reached his hand. Then both of them shook hands and greeted each other.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Silk," the young Elf girl greeted Al.

"Pleasure to meet you," Al showed his politeness to her.

"Did Rin come with you?" Jecht looked around and asked Basar.

"She will come here with the Phantom CIC," Basar answered.

After a few chats, Al felt his head was getting heavy. "It's already late. Sorry, but I have to go," he stood up and said goodbye to them.

"Can you go by yourself?" Jecht asked worryingly.

"I'll be fine," Al responded. "Thank you for today. I'll see you tomorrow."

"What an interesting young man." After Al had left, Basar praised him.

"You mean because he won Cartuja?" Silk wondered.

"It's one reason. When he was drinking, I could see he was very enjoying the fun, but it couldn't help to hide his sadness," Basar answered to the young elf.

Laying down on the bed inside his restroom which was prepared by Cerise, Al wondered what he was doing and why he did that. Easily to accept a challenge from a stranger, it was not like him at all. He asked himself what he was thinking. Nonetheless, he would not lie that he did not have fun, or rather, he had a lot of fun with Cartuja and his company. It was like he was welcomed even though they just met. However, he could not ease the sadness inside him. Slowly, he understood what his father told him before. He once said every life always had two sides and it happened all the time. "Today we can be hurt by pain and sadness, but tomorrow we can laugh with joy and happiness," he said. It was because of those two sides that everyone, whether it was Suin or human, or any kind of race, could feel being alive. If there were happiness, then there would be sadness. Al understood what his father taught him. He knew he could not let his sadness control over him. He had something he wanted to share with Pavel and Cerise. But at this moment it was not the right time to do so. He only wanted to sleep.

The next morning, Al slowly opened his eye. Suddenly, he felt a familiar present right next to his bed. He got up and saw the person inside the room with him. It was a middle-aged woman, who had long silver hair. She looked like Elena, or should he say Elena inherited her mother's beauty.

Seeing the young Suin was getting up, Elena's mother smiled and greeted him. "Good night?"

"When did you come here?" Al asked.

"I've just come here before you awoke," she answered. Then she commented curiously. "You smelt like wine, though."

Remembering what happened last night, he answered. "Ah right, I met a group of Suins last night and had a drink with them."

"So, did you have fun?" Elena's mother asked.

"Yes, lots of fun. They are all good and friendly people," he said.

"It's good to hear that," Elena's mother seemed to be relieved when she heard him said so. But when she saw his wounded face, she asked worryingly. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"Please don't be worried. I had a small accident why hanging around with friends. Last night, one of the Suins I told helped treating me, too. It won't leave any scar," Al comforted her.

"Let me check it." She insisted on checking his wound and Al could not reject it. After seeing he was telling the truth, she felt relieved.

"Does Elena come with you?" After a few seconds of silence, he asked.

"Yes…" Elena's mother looked at him sadly.

"Well, I hope she enjoys the festival. I heard this festival is for the couple and lovers. Too perfect for you and your husband, for Elena and that noble doctor," he commented.

"So you know about Ray?" Elena's mother was surprised when Al knew about Ray.

"Not by face to face, though," Al added.

"Do you feel jealous?" Elena's mother asked.

Sighing, Al thought for a few seconds before he answered. "I do. But that doesn't mean Elena needs to know that. One is a High Priestess of a city, and one is from a noble family. I think both you and her father will be happy to have a son-in-law like him."

"Social position is not the reason to decide whether a marriage is good or not." Hearing what he said, Elena's mother felt very disappointed with his sentence. He totally lost his usual calmness and judgment.

"I know, I just… I'm sorry." – He stuttered and apologized to her.

Elena's mother understood his feelings and love for her daughter so she did not blame him seriously. She said. "But you are right. Elena really likes to be with him, and so does he. The more I look at Ray, the more his face resembles my husband's. The only difference between them is Ray is a doctor, while my husband isn't. But, putting Elena aside, I'm more worried about you. I see you as my son. If you are sad, I can feel it, too," she tried to ease his pain.

"Thank you." Al nodded and asked. "How about the Suin's village?"

"They are doing fine." Elena's mother answered. "We are doing our best to change the heart of the Constellan. It has a lot of pressure to persuade them. Everyone is on the edge when some rumors said we are trying to poison the "holy city" by letting the Suin in. They are also taking the blame on Elena and she burdens a lot of stresses. However, thanks to the hard works, some citizens accepted the Suins and started trading with them. It has a low start but we are positive that things will change."

"It's good to hear." Al was relieved to hear it.

"What about you? Do you want to go back?" she asked.

"Actually, no. Right now, I want to go to Reingar. Their culture and technology are very different from ours. I want to learn more about them." Al did not hide his excitement when he thought of people and things came from Reingar.

"I see. Remember that I will always support you. So do your best, okay?" Respecting his decision, Elena's mother smiled and encouraged him. "If you're not busy, I would like to see you come back once in a while. Don't think of it as a duty or anything, think of it as your home. And you are always be welcomed."

"Thank you," he smiled back at her.

"Remember to write letters for me, okay? I want to see what you learn, too," Elena's mother said and Al nodded. Then they had breakfast together before they went outside and explored the Aakhen city.


	6. Chapter 6

In the morning, everyone from Ritania was hurrying to finish the preparation for the festival with the assistance from the Aakhen's citizens. The stage for the main event was nearly completed. Meanwhile, the stalls were completed and were ready to be stocked. They were placed around the city square. Everyone was excited about the festival, except for some.

Four soldiers, led by Al passed by the city square, one of them looked at the whole scene and sighed boringly. "Wish I'm not patrolling..."

"Do you have something to do?" hearing what he just said, Al asked.

"N-No… sir..." the soldier startled responded troublingly.

Al looked at him and comforted that soldier. "It's okay. If you have something to do, tell me. I'll see what I can do."

"Well… if I may, sir..." the soldier stuttered but he was glad that Al did not mean. He struggled for a few seconds before he confessed. "I heard this festival is meant for couples. I promise my girlfriend I will hang out with her..." the soldier was trembling when he was speaking.

"Is that so?" Al looked at him and smiled. "Then you can go."

"Excuse me, sir?" the soldier did not believe what he just heard.

"If you have a promise to keep, then you have to keep it. Don't keep her waiting too long," Al answered. "Don't worry, I'll make it up for you."

"Then… pardon me. And thank you, sir," he soldier showed his gratitude and left happily.

When that soldier left, the whole patrol team could not believe what they just saw. Uncomprehendingly, one of them stepped closed to Al. "Sir, if I may ask, why did you let him go even we have a job to do here?" He asked.

Al turned to him and explained. "Everyone is anxious and stressful, soldiers like you burden even more, even in peace, as if you fight and die on the battlefield isn't enough. If there is a chance for you to reduce stress, then just take it."

"Wow…"

"I've never thought I would meet a person like you..." A whole team was surprised when they heard his explanation.

"Haven't anyone done it before?" Al looked at their expression and wondered.

"Not the way you treat us," one of them answered. "If we are on the battle and wounded, or lose a limb, we will get treated or given some money. But when it comes to… Uhm…" the soldier paused and continued. "...stressful things… no one has done anything like you before."

"I see." After hearing what they said, Al stopped and thought for a few seconds. Then he suggested. Okay, you can go. You don't have to patrol with me. I can do it alone so just enjoy the festival."

The whole team looked at him and lost their words. They then looked at each other and none of them was sure if Al was telling the truth or not. "But... sir..." one of them stuttered.

Seeing them struggling, Al insisted. "Considering it's an order," he then comforted them. "Don't worry. I'll reason with the Administrator later. But I want to remind you if something unexpected happens, I want you to take the priority of protecting and evacuating everyone. Don't fight unless you have to."

Finally, the patrol team understood his sincerity, they all lined up and showed their gratitude towards him. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." and then, they left in happiness and joy.

Earlier, after arranging a place for Elena's mother to stay and saying goodbye to her, Al came to Cerise and suggested a few patrol teams placed around the city. According to him, some suspicious individuals and groups planning to sabotage the festival. They were the conservative people who did not like the appearance of the Ritania and their items. As far as Al concerned, he was worried that the cultural exchange might be used as a reason to opposed the effort of Cerise's innovation for the city. As first, Cerise thought he was overthinking but when Pavel came in and told her what he saw when he was patrolling the city and showed his agreement with Al, Cerise decided to be safe than sorry and organized soldiers and sorcerers patrolling teams around the city.

On the patrolling route near a market, Pavel met Al but he did not see his team. He came closer to his friend and asked. "Where is your patrol team?"

Seeing Pavel, Al answered. "They're busy taking care of other things, so I go alone."

"You let them go even though you were the one suggested the patrolling. What are you thinking?" Pavel clearly was not satisfied with his answer.

"They are not the only one who is stressful. I only want to help them. If their psyche is stable and in good condition, we can expect high morale and efficiency from them. Just putting them on your command isn't enough to win a war and else." Al explained. He then continued. "Not only in war that we need high moral. Their psyche and spirits are important, too. You cannot win a war or fight criminals with an unstable army."

"If… you say so." Pavel seemed to understand his intention. While walking with Al, he said. "But as you expected, I have seen some suspicious people but since they haven't done anything yet, it's hard to lock them all up. I have to agree that patrolling may be a good way to keep them in check."

When Al and Pavel were discussing the city's situation, a soldier from Pavel's team spoke. "Sir, if I may ask…"

"Yes?" Al looked at him.

"Is it true that the people from Ritania are trying to control us?" He asked worryingly.

"What makes you think so?" Al asked back.

"Uhm…" the soldier struggled before he continued. "Because they have brought a lot of weird stuff and foods. I have never seen anything like that before."

"And it scares you?" Al smiled and asked another question.

"Honestly, yes," the soldier nodded. "But since they haven't done anything evilly so I can't assume it yet."

"I have a question for all of you," keep walking with Pavel's team, Al asked all the soldiers and sorcerers. "What do you think your armor come from?"

"From… the blacksmith…" a sorcerer answered unsurely.

"And the blacksmith just invented the armor without any knowledge?" Al asked another question.

"Uh…" none of them could answer, even Pavel.

"Say, what do you think before armor was invented, what did we wear when we were sent to the battlefield?" Al continued.

"Wools?" one of the team membered wondered.

"Close, but not enough," he nodded. "Before armor was invented, according to history, we only wore loin-clothes. Our bodies were left naked. And after countless battles and deaths, the armor was invented," Al slowly explained to them. He then asked. "Here's another question, what does armor do?"

Hearing the question, the team started discussing and one of them spoke on their behalf. "To protect our body, and reduce the chance of fatal wounds?"

"Correct. Even though they don't completely protect everything, but at least they can give us a sense of security, making us think we can get back alive," Al said. "And imagine if you wear nothing and you have to face a soldier who wears armor, what will you think?"

"I think… since we don't have armor, it will be tough to fight a wearing one," one soldier answered.

"And if you don't know anything about armor and you have to fight one?" Al asked.

"We will be scared, like…" another sorcerer started thinking. "Even paranoid that we are facing a monster?"

"Ah, I get it. It is because we don't understand, it makes us feel unsecured. But if we learn how it works and how it is useful for us, it will bring lots of benefits," at the end, one of them understood the question and the meaning behind it.

"Exactly. And that is what we call "innovation", some things or events change dramatically and affect our life. However, remember that in history, some innovations result badly if we don't use it the right way. This cultural exchange is not simply a normal festival, but also a chance for us to learn new things." seeing the team understood what he wanted to teach them, Al smiled satisfyingly.

"Thinking many people scare of this festival, I wonder if they can accept the change easily," another team member commented. "But I also understand why we need to be careful and prepare for worst-case scenarios."

"Just like you say, they don't understand yet, so they scare of it," Ai said.

"I'm amazed at your knowledge," Pavel was surprised and complimented Al. "But this is not the first time I saw it, though. I wonder where and how you learn that?" he asked.

"Knowledge doesn't come naturally. It depends on you want to seek it or not," Al answered. "Back when I was training and learning in Constella, my parents always encourage me to ask and to question as much as I wanted. Despite being busy, they always spent their time to answer, or explore and discover new things with me." Remembering his parents, Al felt sad but also felt lucky to have his parents who always loved and supported him.

"Can we be the same as you?" a team member wondered.

"Everybody can, not only me as long as you want to learn and don't give up. There is much knowledge in the world and even we use our whole life, we can't learn them all. There are some fields that I can't study, like medicine and alchemy. We can only choose what suits us the most. Because of it, everyone has their own pool of knowledge. The only thing left is how you want to use them," Al explained.

Suddenly, while the whole group was chatting and discussing joyfully, a big shadow from something floating on the sky caught everyone's attention. When they looked up, they saw a flying ship above their heads and it was heading for a landing place. It looked like a normal ship but above was a big balloon.

"Amazing," one soldier said amusingly.

"True. I have never seen anything like this before," Al was shocked and impressed that he must admitted he agreed with the soldier. "Wonder how they make it fly..." he looked at the flying ship without getting his eyes off it and mumbled.

Onboard the ship, Ras, Mercedes, and Karzan were looking for the source of the guardian they were looking for. For Karzan and Ras, they felt that power was closed. It was small and weak, but sensible. And then, when they looked at Pavel and Al's group. They thought they had found out what they wanted to look for.


	7. Chapter 7

In an open place near a lake, the flying ship started landed. Waiting for the guests were Cerise and some soldiers and sorcerers, along with some workers. From the ship, a bridge was released and Ras, Yuna, and others were walking down on the ground. After that, the workers stepped on the ship and brought goods down, before moving them to the city square, where the festival would be held. The workers were also under surveillance from both the Aakhen army and Reingar security officers.

Stepping towards Yuna and her friends, Cerise gave them a warm and polite greeting. "Welcome to Aakhen City, President Yuna and Heir of the Covenant."

"It's great to see you again, but if it's possible, I would like you not to use formal words for us," Ras greeted her expressed his discomfort.

"Right? We are at the festival, no need for being so distant." the young president and energetic Yuna added. She reached out both hands to Cerise.

Feeling their friendliness, Cerise preferred to see them as friends instead of some high-class people. She shook hands with Yuna and smiled comfortably. "Well… if you insist. It's nice to see you again, Ras, Yuna," seeing another friendly face, Cerise looked at her and greeted. "Nice to see you again too, Miss Tamarine."

"Please, just call me Tamarine." the shy black hair girl in the dark green dress responded.

Seeing Tamarinne was still the same as always, Cerise was glad and hoped that there would be no problem for her performance. "Well then, I hope you all have a great time in Aakhen. The preparation is already in the final stage. I would like to see Tamarine's performance again." She smiled at Tamarine.

"I… I'll do my best," Tamarine responded shyly.

Later, they had a walk together. Looking around the rebuilding city, Ras complimented. "To be honest, I am glad that the city seems to be lively than before. You must work very hard."

"I'm not the only one who did all the jobs. The others did their part well." Cerise smiled proudly.

Different Ras, Yuna was looking for another person but it seemed he was not with Cerise. "Where's Pavel? I thought he's with you?" she asked.

"He is patrolling the city, along with his friend," Cerise answered.

Hearing that, Mercedes wondered. "Patrolling? Is there anything bad?"

"Please don't be worried," Cerise assured the young mage. "It's a normal daily procedure. Also, we want to make sure everyone from Ritania feels safe when they stay in the city, including you, too," she explained.

"I see. It's really thoughtful of you," Ras said relievedly.

"May I ask where is Arky? Did he not come with you?" Looking for Ras's guardian but he was nowhere to be found, Cerise asked.

"He is now under medical care. He sneaked and ate too many snacks and hurt his stomach." Ras sighed annoyingly.

"I'm sorry. I should not let him eat too much," Tamarine apologized to Ras.

"You don't have to. He got what he deserved. Besides, you will see him running and jumping around again in no time," Ras comforted her before he looked serious at Cerise. "It might be a bit off of topic but may I ask you something, Cerise?"

"Yes?" the young administrator wondered what he wanted to know.

Troublingly, Ras wondered if he made it clear. "Do you see any, uh, abnormal thing recently?"

"What do you mean?" Cerise wondered what he just asked.

Looking at Ras, Mercedes saw Ras was struggling to explain to Cerise. "Ras, I think we should find a place to discuss the situation," she commented.

"Mercedes's right. Can you please do that?" Ras was glad that Mercedes made the right decision.

Although she did not understand, Cerise stopped questioning. "This way, please," she said.

Later, they came to the city lord's office, which is located inside the city hall placed in the middle of the city. Inside the room, Ras and Yuna were surprised that even it was used for the highest position, it was designed very simple but also gave a sense of comfort. Both sides of the room were bookshelves placed to contain documents. In the middle of the room, behind the glass to look down the city, a big wooden table was placed. Working on the table, there was a short blonde hair middle-aged man who was wearing a long black coat and doing paperwork. His name was Furious, the city lord of Aakhen and Cerise was his only daughter. Seeing his daughter and her friends coming into the room, he wondered why they came here.

"Welcome, Heir of the Covenant," he greeted Ras.

"Please don't be that formal to me, I'm now just a normal citizen of Ritania. Nice to see you again," – Ras said.

"Suits yourself," Furious suddenly responded in a different tone. He then asked. "So why do you all come here?"

Sitting down on a small chair with his friends, Ras started. "It's a long shot. When we were traveling from Perland to Constella, I felt a weak and small power that was similar to the holy guardians, like Arky, Zeaon, and Cromcruz. However, since we were busy fighting back Lilias and Straze, I hadn't been able to find the said power. When I was on the sky above Aakhen, I felt that power again, still weak but sensible. I would like to ask if you have ever seen anything abnormal and usual activities or persons recently?" He explained.

"No. But is it dangerous, or just another ally of yours?" Furious asked doubtfully.

"According to what I heard, this guardian can be good and can be bad. He can be an ally but also a dangerous monster," Ras said. "But there is one thing special about this guardian, is whenever he dies, he will unleash a powerful wave that wipes out everyone's recognition about him, meaning he never exists in our memory. The good thing is when he does that, everything will be returned like before. No deaths, no destruction, like a short dream."

"You mean, this guardian lives and dies without anyone acknowledge him?" Cerise was surprised. "Isn't it sad for him?" she said.

"That doesn't matter," Furious seemed not to give a care about what Ras said. "If he's good, then he can be used, if he's dangerous, we kill him. Simple. There is no pity for a dangerous creature." Furious frankly commented.

"You should not be that cruel." Cerise did not agree with her father.

"I only care about Aakhen's sake. If there is a threat, even it is small, I will crush it," Furious was serious with his words. He then asked. "What is this guardian about?"

"He is capable of using psyche attacks. He is very good at creating delusions and illusions on his opponents, making them unable to resist and slowly destroy their souls. And his name is Minos." Ras continued.

"But if he dies and wipes out everyone's memory about him, how do you know he even exists?" Furious felt suspicious.

"It's thanked for Karzan, Yuna's guardian, a divine entity who can manipulate time. He can travel back to the past and see the events deleted from our minds. According to Karzan, I fought him several times and my memory about him was deleted as well." Ras explained.

Hearing the story, Cerise hoped nothing bad would happen. She said. "Since it might be important, I agreed to let Yuna and her guardian searching for him."

"To think such a divine guardian exists, do you think it is the right time awake him up?" Thinking for a few seconds, Furious looked at Ras and asked.

"I hope we won't have to wake him. But in case we will need his strength, we still have to find him. Also, he is only dangerous if he becomes corrupted and if we can figure out the reason to stop his corruption, then we can prevent his transformation." Ras answered.

After that, Furious started considering. He knew Ras and he did not think he would lie to him and he did not seem to have reason to do so. "I see. Since Aakhen owns you, I'll let you do as you wish," Furious ended the conversation.

Meanwhile, after the flying shipped landed, Pavel and Al kept patrolling the city. Al really wanted to explore the ship but he had to hold his curiosity until he had the permission to do so. When they were walking, Al saw something strange. Everyone stopped moving. He touched Pavel but he had no reaction. While he had no idea what was happening, two shadows approached him and Al quickly drew his pistol.

"Wow wow, hold on…" It was the girl in the high school uniform, and the president of the Reingar's Student Council. Seeing Al was on the edge, she tried to keep him calm.

"Relax. We're not here to harm you." Karzan appeared next to him and shield her from the gun.

Al looked at the two strangers while trying to figure out the situation. "Who are you? And what is happening? Why are you two the only ones who can move?" he asked rapidly.

"Please hear me out." Yuna bravely stepped out of Karzan's protection. "My name is Yuna, I'm from Reingar and this is Karzan, my guardian. Karzan can stop and manipulate time, including letting who or what is not affected by his ability. We are here wanting to check a few things," she said while stepping closer to Al.

Seeing she was moving towards him, Al held his pistol and was ready to pull the trigger. "And am I supposed to trust you that easily?" he asked.

"You can try. But remember when you shoot that thing, I can make the bullet fly right back to your chest," Karzan warned.

"Karzan, that's not how you reduce someone's anxious." Yuna stopped her guardian before something bad happened. She stood still and looked at Ras and hopefully, he would co-operate. "If you feel unsafe, then you can hold your gun and hear us out."

Al looked at Yuna's eyes. It seemed she did not pose any threat to him. Even though he had not yet understood the situation, he still decided to listen to her. He lowered his gun and said. "Fine. Tell me what you want."

"First, are you a guardian?" Starting slowly, Yuna asked.

"I was. Why did you ask?" Al wondered why she knew.

"Where is your master?" Karzan asked next.

"She doesn't need my protection anymore," Al explained.

"Do you know that if a guardian abandons his duty, sooner or later, you will become corrupted?" hearing his answer, Karzan asked stressfully.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Al could not understand their questions. He started getting anxious.

"Did you awake your power?" Karzan continued while preparing to protect Yuna.

"What power?" Al wondered.

Looking at Al troubling expression, Yuna looked at her guardian and wondered. "Looks like he hasn't awakened it yet. Do you realize you are a divine guardian?" she asked.

"What kind of joke is that?" Al asked.

"I guess you're right." Karzan agreed with Yuna. They could clearly read the confusion on Al's face.

"Then we have to explain to him," Yuna suggested.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Karzan did not like her idea. "Remember what I said, he can be good but can be dangerous. If there is a chance to prevent his corruption, then we should take it," Karzan suggested.

"What if one day we need his power and his power hasn't been awakened yet? Worst, he can be killed before that time comes?" Yuna disagreed. "How about you show him his previous lives, maybe he can realize something?"

"Good idea."

Karzan then teleported in front of Al and before he reacted, he touched his forehead. A small curve light appeared on his hand and later, Al knelt down on his knee while holding his head. As for Al, thousands of images went through his head. They showed him who he was in, what he did, who he fought, how he was corrupted in the previous lives. However, having to deal with tons of information hurt his head. He breathed heavily and could not get up.

Looking at Al bore the pain, Karzan and Yuna decided to leave. "We will leave you here. What you will do from now on depends on you. If you want to awake your power, then come to me. If not, live a normal life." he said.

"We will be in Reingar if you want to find us," Yuna told him softly before they left.

Stressfully, Al did not understand anything at all. Who they were, what they were, or even who and what he was, and why they said he was a divine guardian. It did not make sense at all, not for him. Then, he lost his consciousness.

"Al. Al? Al!"

Waking up with his heavy head, Al saw Pavel was calling his name. He looked worried.

"I hear ya," holding his head, Al tried to stay calm and stand on his feet but he could not.

"You suddenly felt down. Are you okay?" Pavel asked concernedly.

"I'm okay. Ugh, my head…" he touched his head. At this time, he could feel a heavy headache.

"It seems he is exhausted, could be overworked. He just needs to eat well and rest." a doctor commented..

"Really, you just have to tell us if you're tired, no need to burden everything on yourselves," Pavel told him.

At first, when he got up, Al intended to tell Pavel what happened to him. However, he wondered if Pavel could believe in him in that crazy story about a man and a girl talking to him while time was stopped. "Sorry to have you worried," he admitted.

"But the doctor is right. From the day you came here, you have done a lot for us. Now is the time to take a break. You like the festival, so I think you should stay well until then." Pavel suggested.

"I know," Al nodded.

"But since you are here, can I ask you a favor?" suddenly, Pavel seemed to struggle with something.

"Of course," Al looked at him.

"Well… uhm… uh…" – Pavel started acting awkwardly until his face turned red.

"What's wrong?" Al wondered.

"Can you… help me… confess to Cerise?" holding all his breath, Pavel finally had the courage to ask.

"Say what?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Hold on. Wait a sec!" Al needed a break to let his brain work after hearing Pavel's request. He touched a finger on his head and moved it on the air, and asked, "What do you mean "helping you confess to Cerise"?"

"I mean… like so," Pavel was even more embarrassed.

"I thought you two are already worked out," Al doubted.

Pavel looked away for a moment before he said. "Well… yes, but actually no."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Al asked.

"Because I don't have enough courage to say it to her," Pavel screamed desperately. "I just... can't, really. It's easier said than done."

Al continued, "Does Cerise know about your feelings?"

"Maybe, and maybe not. But how can I ask her that?" Pavel said stressfully. Suddenly, Al bowed his head and started smiling. Frustrating and embarrassing, Pavel muffled. "Stop laughing, it ain't funny."

After laughing for a while, Al coughed a few times and tried to hold himself together. "Sorry. Ahem..." he looked at Pavel and said. "Seriously, of all questions, I've never thought you would ask me to help you confess to someone. It isn't like you at all. You always act like you don't care anything else except your missions and duties. But you know, I'd prefer you like this than before. Cerise must be very important to you."

"You could say that," Pavel smiled and sat down.

"But why did you ask me?" Al wondered.

"Because…" he stopped and kept going, "...different than me, you are always good at understanding people's thoughts and feelings. Thanks to you, I learned how to think of others with an open mind instead of staying away from them."

"I'm not sure if I can live up to your expectation but…" Al nodded. "Okay, I'll help you."

"Thanks. I appreciated it," Pavel thanked him.

Al reminded him, "But I have to remind you. My help is a thing but the important part depends on you. I want you to prepare and be brave enough if you want to confess to her."

After his speaking, Pavel nodded with his determination, "I'll do my best."

After agreeing to help him, Al started thinking where they should start, he began, "Now we have to choose a location. A quiet place for you two because I don't want anyone to interrupt you two."

"Agree," the young gunman nodded.

"It also needs to have some covers so I can give you supp…"

"Al, are you okay?" Cerise suddenly stormed in and saw her two friends startled when seeing her. Wondering, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"No… nothing..." they both quickly hid their discussion. "It was closed," they thought.

Looking at Al, Cerise asked worryingly, "I heard you collapsed. Are you okay now?"

"I'm okay. Thank you for your care," Al comforted her.

"That's good," Cerise caught a sign of relief and took a seat next to Pavel, which made his face a bit of blushing. Al starred at him to remind him to keep calm but he had to admit he really liked to see Pavel's expression towards Cerise. Afterward, Cerise remembered something and spoke, "Oh, there is a Suin who came from Ritania said he wanted to meet you. He said that he wanted to make sure if his treatment on your wound had no problem. He is waiting for you at a medical post and asked if I could lead you there."

"Is it possible? It's not a simple wound, though," Pavel doubted.

"He doesn't seem to be a bad guy," knowing who Cerise was mentioning, Al stood up. "Alright, I'll meet him there."

Later, the trio came to a medical post where Jecht was helping to treat the sick along with some doctors. He was relieved to see Al. Elena's mother was in here helping them too. When the trio came in, Jecht looked at Al and asked concernedly, "You came. How is your wound?"

"It itches. I guess it is time," Al scratched his face. When Jecht removed the bandage, they were all surprised to see the strange thing on his right face.

"It… looks like mushroom sticking on the tree," Elena's mother took a closed observation and commented.

"Will he be okay?" Pavel asked.

Picking up a small knife, Jecht put it inside a boiling water bowl before he picked it up again, "Of course. Now is the hard part. We have to remove the dead skin carefully. Shall we start?" He said.

When Jecht started using a small knife to cut and pull out the dead skin, Al felt itchy and hurt at the same time. Because of the heat of the knife's blade and the pain from the dead skin being stripped off, Al had a hard time to sit tight. "Just hold on a little!" Elena's mother calmed him down. At the same, she and Cerise were holding Al's arms so he did not strive too hard while Pavel put one leg on Al's legs and used his hands to hold his head up. And when they had done, everyone was surprised. Al's wound disappeared completely as if he was never wounded before. He looked at a mirror and was amazed by Jecht's skill.

"Thanks to the stars, it worked." Elena's mother sighed in relief. She touched his right face and stroking his hair before looking at the Suin doctor. "Thank you very much, Mr. Jecht," she thanked him with her smile.

"Please don't be that formal. I only do what I can to help," Jecht said.

Looking at Al's face, Cerise was surprised his wound totally disappeared as he was not injured before. "But how could you do that?" Cerise asked.

"When I was traveling around Ritania, I saw some people who had an inferiority complex about their faces. It could be a wound, a big scar, a birthmark, and else. So I thought what if I could remove those things, maybe it would help them to have a better life. I started studying and testing until I was able to treat them completely," Jecht explained.

"How kind-hearted you are," Elena's mother praised his benevolence.

"Thank you for your compliment," Jecht said.

Later, Cerise and Pavel returned to their work and persuaded Al to have a break. Concerning his health, Elena's mother suggested too. Al decided to listen to them and walking to the stalls placed around the city's square. He was curious and interested in nearly everything strange and new transported from Ritania, from electronic goods to foods. He bought himself a flashlight. It gave him a brighter light comparing to the oil lamp, which could help him look better when night fell. When he walking around the stalls, it made him want to come to Ritania even more. However, when he came to the stage which he heard it would where a singer would sing and dance, he wondered if he or she was like a street musician. They often performed on the street and he wondered what would make the difference if they performed on the stage. He also saw a big blackboard hanging above the stage with some large electronic lamps placed around it.

"Sir Al, please smile." Suddenly, a voice came from a soldier holding a small box in his hands. The next thing was a flick sound and a white flashlight came from it. He was one patrolling with Al.

Looking at the thing the soldier was holding, Al asked curiously, "What's that?"

"It's from Ritania. They called it a "camera"," the soldier gave his new item for Al. He held it and observe curiously. "You can use them to take pictures instantly, without spending hours of drawing," the soldier continued. The camera was designed to release the photo instantly. The soldier then gave the photo to Al.

"Holy… it looks real," Al was surprised when he saw another him on a small picture. He even took it and compared it to the scene he was standing.

Taking another few photos with Al, the soldier said concernedly, "Even though, it seems the artists don't like this item much. They are afraid it will make them lose their jobs," he continued. "To be honest, I don't think it is a big problem at all. A lot of people still prefer the old-style drawings than real pictures."

"You got a point," Al agreed with him.

"Still running around with that?" Another soldier came close to them.

"What's on your hands?" Al looked at the things he was carrying and asked.

"Oh, they are called "whiteboard" and "markers". My siblings seemed to like them so I bought them a few," the soldier answered.

"Hm…" Looking at the whiteboard, something appeared to Al's mind. Thinking of Pavel, even though he wanted to help him, Al was not sure what he should do and prepare for his confession. Then he looked at the new flashlight he bought, and the whiteboard, he had an idea. He then asked the two soldiers, "I need your help."

"Yes?" they wondered what he wanted.

In a large room of a guest house placed near the city hall. Inside the room, a big table was placed in the center, and surrounded it was a few chairs. On the table, there was a set of teapots and cups. Ras, Mercedes, Yuna, and Karzan were sitting together.

"Let's start, shall we?" Karzan stood up before he waved his hand and the time stopped. Then they saw a scene where Karzan was fighting a strange man, who had a black armor and a pair of wings on his back. Karzan then told them, "This was the first time I fought Minos, and it ended up badly. I was killed in the 6th world but was reborn in the 7th world thanks to the Goddess."

"But why did you fought him?" Ras asked.

"Let me start the origin story first," Karzan then showed them another scene, when a beautiful and glowing woman appeared. She was holding a green glowing marble in her hands before it transformed into a young man, who had black short hair and eyes. Karzan continued, "When he was created, the Goddess named him Minos, and gave the ability to control and mind and created delusion, just like Tenebria. Like I said before, he was created to counter her. But after 6 times of restoring Orbis consecutively, the Goddess was weakening, and she could not finish him. Minos held a powerful divine strength, like other guardians, but his body was fragile, like a normal human being."

"If he is supposed to be our ally, why are you so cautious about him?" Yuna asked.

"Because... he made a very deadly mistake," Karzan replied. "He... fell in love with his Heir."

"What?" everyone was surprised.

"As you already know, guardians are supposed to serve their Heir and should not have any special feelings for them. But Minos took a different step from it. His Heir in the 6th world was a young girl, and they fell in love with each other. Although I don't understand what love is, I still felt that it was not a good thing. And then..."

Karzan took a deep breath as if he was trying to remember something sad. Everyone gave him time and finally, he spoke, "Before the Archdemon war started, Tenebria found them. She successfully lured them out and trapped Minos, and let him withness his Heir being torn apart by the monsters under her command."

And then, Karzan showed them a terrible scene, where Minos, or Al, screamed in pain while a young and cute girl, who had a pink twin-tails hair, commanded her monsters and killed another young girl brutally and mercilessly.

Everyone was speechless, and Karzan continued, "After his Heir's death, Tenebria used this chance to control Minos, and gave him the Archdemon's power, and transformed him into a monster. When I came to them, it was too late, and our battle began, which I lost, and my Heir was killed as well."

"This is... so sad," Mercedes commented.

"Later, when the Goddess revived Minos, she could not get rid of the Archdemon's power inside him because she was so weak. But thankfully, she said that the Archdemon's power would only take control Minos only if he suffered a strong negative emotion," Karzan gave out more information.

"Ah, now I understand why you said he could be dangerous," Yuna said.

"That's why I told you all to consider carefully if we want to awake him," Karzan commented.

"You did find him. Can you tell how he is?" Mercedes asked.

"He is a friend of Cerise and Pavel," Yuna answered.

"Did you tell him about his true identity?" Ras asked next.

"We did. We also gave him a choice of whether to become a guardian or live a normal life," Karzan answered.

"I don't think we should tell it to Cerise and Pavel," Yuna commented. "Honestly, with all things happened in his existence, I think he deserves to live a normal life. However, when the time comes, we might consider if we need his power or not," Yuna continued.

"I agree. We can only hope for the best," Ras nodded as he agreed with Yuna.

"After all, it is the power of love that helps him maintain his psyche. If we can give him enough love, or support him to be with his loved one, we don't have to worry about his corruption," Yuna energetically and positively commented.

"Not sure if I can agree with that easily," Ras wondered if Yuna was serious, or what she said was true.

"But if you said so, do you know what love is, Yuna?" Mercedes suddenly looked at Yuna, hopefully, to find an answer.

"Eh? Well… I..." Yuna's face turned red when she looked at Ras, making him wonder why she looked at him embarrassingly. "I don't know. You should ask someone else. This is the end of our meeting," the young girl screamed and ran out of the room, leaving everyone behind with their uncomprehending.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, the girl with long black hair in the dark green dress, Tamarinne, was practicing vocal chore. Accompanying her was a young and stunningly beautiful girl, who had long dark hair, wearing a pink uniform and short skirt. Her name was Hazel. Another girl in the room was another young girl who wore blue clothes and wielded a katana. Her name was Karin, the one works for Reingar security.

"I think it's done for today. Great job as always, Tamarinne," Hazel closed the book on her hand and complimented the young singer.

"Thank you. I'll do my best for tonight," Tamarinne responded as her face blushed.

"I think you should take a break. The festival is already begun," Hazel said.

"You're right. I really want to see how people react to what we have brought here," Tamarinne said excitedly.

"Do you want me to go with you? You are the main star tonight. I want to make sure nothing bad happens to you," Karin suggested.

"Please don't be worried, Karin. I can take care of myself. You still have more things to do than sticking with me. Besides, nobody will recognize me as long as I wear this dress." Tamarinne responded.

"I suggest you should give her some personal space, Karin. From the moment we landed here, you have overprotected her too much," Hazel stepped in as she knew Tamarinne would not want to bother Karin as the same as having enough courage to tell her to let Tamarinne some personal space.

"If you said so. But if anything happens, run to the nearest guard station, okay?" Karin reminded Tamarinne the last time before she left.

On the street, Al was on the patrol with two soldiers, who he asked for their help. Knowing he wanted to help Pavel, the two soldiers decided to give him a hand. They were discussing where Pavel and Cerise should go, it should be a quiet place, far away from people.

"How about the upper town? It has a nice and wide view that both of them can see the whole city. It also looks right to the city square, too," one soldier asked.

"Possibly, but is it inside or outside?" Al asked.

"Outside. They can also sit down and look at the stars while chatting as well." the other soldier said.

"Sound good. But Pavel has a bad habit of talking with others. A high chance he will screw up as well. We need to give him assistance, maybe give him some lines." Al thought carefully.

"But do you think it will work out?" a soldier asked.

Al reached his hand and touched his chin. As the soldier asked, he was pretty worried that things might not go as the way they wanted. Nonetheless, knowing Pavel and how he put hope on him, Al persuaded himself he had to help him as much as he could. At that moment, after a long discussion, Al could only hope for the best result. He said to the soldiers. "I hope so. But we also need some covers, too. And Cerise must not notice anything usually."

Suddenly, the three of them noticed something. Some people were looking at a group of people. Two men and one young girl. From the first look, they knew the two men were thugs and they were harassing the girl.

"Please, let me go." the girl tried to escape from the thug's hand but he grabbed so strong that she could not escape.

"Come on, we just want to have a drink with you. Don't be shy, it will be fun." the thug laughed with his caddish face.

"I'm sorry. I can't go with you," Tamarinne refused and resisted but she was too weak against them.

Seeing that, Al and the two soldiers did not waste any time and they stepped in immediately. Al grabbed the thug's arm and warned him. "She did say let her go."

"Who the hell…" when the thug looked to his accomplice just to see he was already knocked down. The thug drew his knife but his face got hit hard by Al.

After the two soldiers brought the thugs away, Al looked at the girl and kept distant, then he asked concernedly. "You okay?"

Tamarinne signed in relief. Seeing Al was being friendly and he went along with the soldiers, Tamarine thought he was with the security. After calming down, she said. "I… I'm okay. Thank you."

"Can I ask what they did to you?" Al asked softly.

"I was heading to the city's square with some students. Then they came and asked me to go with them. The two students tried to stop them but they beat and chased them away. I said I didn't want to go with them but they didn't listen." Tamarine explained.

"Students? Are you from Reingar?" Al wondered.

"Yes," Tamarinne nodded. "Thank you for your help."

At the first conversation, Al had a sense that this girl was trustworthy. She also gave a sense of politeness and shy. He said. "Please don't. I'm sorry for letting you go through this. I hope it won't give you a bad impression on the city."

"You don't have to be sorry. I really enjoy the atmosphere here. I hope the festival will go well and everyone will have a great time," Tamarinne smiled.

"I hope so," Al smiled back at her.

Suddenly, both of them were interrupted by another Reingar student. She was the one who wielded a katana and insisted on going with Tamarinne. Seeing the young singer, she asked. "Tamarine, are you okay?"

"Karin?" Seeing her, Tamarinne responded. - "I'm okay."

"Hey you, the one harassing Tamarine, you are under arrest." Out of nowhere, Karin accused and stunned Al

"The hell?" he had no idea why that girl said so.

"You have the right to remain silent. Now come with me or I will use force." Karin stood and held her katana firmly.

Seeing the situation was getting heat up, Tamarinne tried to stop Karin. "Wait, Karin, let me explain."

"I know. He forced you not to say anything. I will save you. Hold on there," without considering any second, Karin forced everyone to follow the way she wanted.

Having enough, Al shouted. "Will you just stop for a second and listen to…"

Suddenly, Karin disappeared but Al knew she was moving fast. He saw a flash and he quickly drew his gun to block the katana. Karin kept attacking him without giving him a chance to say anything. Even Tamarine could not stop her. Being so surprised, Al was passive and he could only block the attacks. He could not risk to pull the trigger and let stray bullets hurt anyone else. Karin kept attacking until she broke his gun and slash his left stomach and Tamerinne could see blood on his body.

"See the difference between us? Now, surrender." Karin said but Al did not listen. He charged to her and when Karin swung her katana, Al found a dead spot and he aimed to her left face. Suddenly, something jumped in, forcing him to fall back. Another young girl from Reingar had come to support her.

"Nice timing, Judith," Karin said.

"No problem. Supporting the members of the Public security club of Reingar is my job," the short black hair girl wielding two daggers said confidently.

"What should I do? Things just get more complicated," Tamarine struggled to find a solution.

Karin and Judith started attacking Al again. Both of them had speed as their strength. From the outside, everyone thought the two girls would win when they saw Al struggled to fight back. He could only keep dodging.

Then, he attacked Judith's legs. She jumped on but Al grabbed her leg and quickly pulled her down. Next, he grabbed her neck and slammed her head on the ground brutally. It shocked not only Karin but also everyone. Before she reacted, Al found and wield a wooden stick. She then drew back her katana to its sheath and prepared, while Al did exactly the same thing as her pose attack. And after they exchanged their attacks, Karin was the one falling down while Al was unharmed.

"I… haven't lost yet…" Bearing the pain, Karin tried to stand up.

"Enough!" suddenly, Yuna rushed in, along with Ras, Mercedes and two Reingar students.

"President?" Karin was surprised to see Yuna, while Al looked at her and stayed silent. "I request supports to arrest this man."

"Karin, I always told you to investigate if there is a case and stop lumping everyone, even when they are not related," Yuna spoke unsatisfyingly.

Holding her pain and struggled to stand up, Karin still insisted. "But he is the one harassing Tamarine…"

"He didn't," Hazel, Cerise, and Pavel came with the thugs. "Those two are the culprits. Thanks to the Administrator and Mr. Pavel, we successfully captured them," Hazel stepped to the two students who were beaten by the thugs. "Are they the ones attacking you?"

"Yes. It is them," the Reingar students confirmed.

"Karin, I want you to write a report and send it to Hazel. We will punish you according to the rule of Reingar," Yuna said.

Seeing how annoying Yuna was, Karin knew she had no choice but to follow her command. She stood up and came towards her and said. "I understand."

"No need for that," Unsatisfied with the judgment, Al covered his wound and stepped forwards them. He said. "You don't need to write a report or something."

Looking at his serious face, Yuna was kind of afraid that he would ask for something "unusual". "What are you suggesting?" She asked and saw Al looked at Karin before turning at her as if he was asking for her permission. And the moment she did, Al slapped Karin right to her face strongly and surprised everyone.

"A bit of advice: try to use your head next time. Not always you encounter people weaker than you." Looking at the girl whose hand was touching her cheek, Al spoke coldly before she turned to Yuna. "It would be enough."

Even though it was a bit of brutal, Yuna was glad that he would not ask for anything else. "Thank you. I'll make sure she'll remember it," she said but Al only remained silent and he left afterward.

"It is what will happen if you mess with him. He is friendly and has a good heart but doesn't mean he is easy going. He hates especially hypocrisies and wrongdoers," Pavel explained to Cerise.

"I think he has a reason for it. But to be honest, I'm surprised to see this side of him." Cerise agreed with Pavel but did not hide her surprise.

After the fight, Tamarinne chased after Al. She was surprised that he walked so fast and she had a hard time following him. "Please wait," catching a breath, she suggested. "Please let me look at your wound."

At first, Al was surprised to see her and did not think she could be able to keep up with him. But he was even more surprised when she was concerned about him. "It's not serious. Please don't be worried." Al smiled and comforted her but he gave up as Tamarine insisted.

Tamarinne looked at his wound and then, she started singing. Her voice was so beautiful, Al thought. He had never heard anyone who could sing like her and he was totally caught into her beautiful voice. So innocent, yet so powerful and emotional. He swore he could listen to her voice all day without boring.

"How is your wound?" After singing a short melody, Tamarinne smiled and asked.

"It's…" Al was surprised when he saw his wound was healed and left no scar at all. "Amazing. How could you do that?" he praised her.

"I really don't know but it just happens so," Tamarinne was not sure how to explain it to him.

What a strange and amazing girl, Al wondered. "I guess you really have a talent. Thank you," he continued. "May I ask… are you the singer who will perform tonight?"

"Yes. I often sing at Reingar. I also had a show in Perland before," she answered. After that, they walked together. Knowing he was interested in her performance, she asked. "Do you come to the stage tonight?"

"I…" Al stuttered. Remembering that he had a promise with Pavel, Al was not sure how he should answer her. After a long though, he decided. "I'm not sure if it's possible, but I promise to come as soon as I'm free. Please know that I'm really looking forward to your performance."

"I'm glad to hear that. I hope I won't disappoint you." Both of them chatted a little more before they went on their way.


	10. Chapter 10

In the evening, the festival had begun. The city started being crowded by people. But most of them were couples who spent their time, forgetting all the hardships. Together, they shopped, played, chatted, and enjoyed the festival's spirit. It was like they all forgot the war over a month ago. On the other place, Pavel and Cerise were also enjoying their time alone, in the upper town. They stepped to a balcony and looked down the downtown. The city square was the brightest place of all over the city.

Stepping to the balcony, Cerise placed her arms on the top of the balcony while looking down on the city below. "You know, looking at this reminded me the time we were back in Perlands," she spoke.

"Yeah. Everyone was having fun and I was glad that nothing bad happened." Pavel said. He then looked around without getting Cerise's notice. He saw Al was behind a column. The young Suin gave him a thumb up, and so did Pavel.

"So…" suddenly, Cerise turned and leaned her back to the balcony. She looked at Pavel curiously and asked. "Why did you invite me here?"

Before Cerise turned back, Pavel quickly reacted and fortunately, she did not notice his awkward actions with his supporting team. As he looked at Cerise's face directly, he felt the heat raised up on his face. He stuttered. "Because… I…" Pavel struggled to find a response. Looking at Cerise, he was stunned by her beauty and tt was always clearer when he was alone with her. Gathering all his courage, he embarrassingly answered. "Because… I want to spend sometimes… with you."

"Is that so?" Cerise smiled and turned her face away, so he would not notice her pink face.

Meanwhile, Pavel looked for Al's assistance but he noticed something unusual. He saw a whiteboard with blue words brighten by a flashlight. It would not be a problem if he did not see at least three people were there. One was Al and the other two are soldiers. "What the hell?" he mumbled because he never expected someone else to help him except Al alone.

"Did he see that?" the soldier who raised the whiteboard looked at Pavel as he was closing his eyes and aim at the board.

"Hold on..." Al mumbled to the soldier and gave an "okay" sign to ask. Expectably, even Pavel's eyes were good, he still had a hard time seeing the written words in a low light scene. He shook his head to sign Al. The young Suin then looked at the two soldiers and said. "Probably the words are too small. Come on, fix it quickly."

"You know… you did choose a very good place," Cerise turned back to Pavel. She herself was surprised but also felt shy when she was alone with Pavel. "I love Aakhen, not because I was the city lord's daughter or else, but seeing the peaceful city in those times makes me want to stay and protect it."

"You're right," Pavel smiled not only he agreed with her but also buying time for the supporting team to help him. From the background, one soldier was holding the whiteboard while the other one was trying to write the words big enough for Pavel to see as Al was using the flashlight to light the board so he could write.

"But you're from Perlands, right? You must have more memory in that city more than here," Cerise asked why looking down the city.

The whiteboard was raised up. [That city doesn't have you.]

Seeing the whiteboard and this time he could see it well. However, Pavel was embarrassed to say the written words. "Uh… well…" he stuttered but he had to make his mind. Nevertheless, he had not to waste their effort. "I do love Perlands, but… it… uhm…"

"But?" Cerise looked at him. She did not want to let her eyes out of him and willed to wait for the answer. She was hoping that Pavel would not disappoint her expectations.

The longer she looked, the more embarrassed and stressful Pavel was. His face started blushing and kept opening and closing his mouth awkwardly before he finally said. "But… but… it would be great if you live there, too."

"What the hell is he talking?" Al and two soldiers had no idea why Pavel said that. The three of them sighed disappointingly.

Being stunned by the answer, Cerise was not sure how to respond to him. "Oh… uhm… yeah, I would like to come there often," she said and turned around. "But right now, I don't think I can. Perlands and Aakhen are still in a war. Nobody knows when the peace treaty will be over. Everyone is on the edge and it is why I held a festival, so they can forget the war and enjoy life," she said sadly.

"Great, now the conversation is in a heavy tone," a soldier squeezed his nose's bridge and commented.

Thinking hard, the other soldier wrote something. "How about..." he mumbled before the board was raised up. He wrote. "I didn't mean that. I meant I want to be with you."

Reading at the whiteboard, Pavel also saw Al was signing to him not to screw up and speak loudly or he would beat the hell out of him. When he read the whiteboard, he was so embarrassed to speak the whole line. "I didn't mean that..." Pavel looked at Cerise and stuttered. Gathering all his courage, he said. "I meant… I meant… whether it is Perlands or Aakhen, I want to have you there."

"Good, now we're talking," Al commented and encouraged his friend. "You can do it."

Hearing what he said, Cerise was surprised and smiled happily. Pavel came closer to her and said. "I'm not good at talking to others. But then you… uhm... no… we met and you showed me a new world. Thanks to you, I know there are more things than missions and duties."

"I'm glad I could help," Cerise smiled softly. "You know, the first time we met, I felt impressed with you. You didn't talk and act weirdly like Violet. You were calmer but always cared about others. They didn't know that so they thought you were awkward. But to me, you looked really cool and amazing. Maybe it is why I have never regretted coming to Perlands."

"I'm glad I met you too. You changed my life." When Cerise looked at the city, Pavel turned back and read the board. He then turned shyly when he read the next line. He started stuttering again. "Do you think… we can be… together?"

"Uh…" Cerise was stunned when he said that. She felt embarrassed but she also wanted to test him a bit more. "I think so. It's not always I have a friend like you hanging out with me."

"Friend?" Pavel did not understand her meaning. He then looked at the board and at that moment, his face turned red. But he knew he had to say it if he did not want to lose the best moment of his life. – "But… uhm… we can be… more than that, right? I mean… like… a couple?" he tried his best and the line he said was broken like he was drunk.

"Yes. Well done, Pavel," Al and the two soldiers jumped on joy when they saw him keep getting better.

Meanwhile, Cerise did not bother to hide her happy face anymore. "May I ask what do you like about me?" she asked.

"You… you are beautiful, smart, kind-hearted… the greatest person I've ever met. I mean…." Pavel tried to think hard as much as he could and wondered if he did not say anything wrong.

"Thank you." Cerise smiled and stepped closer to him, close enough that he could feel the warmth from her body. "I want to be with you, Pavel. I want us to be sad and happy, to cry and laugh, all of that... together."

Apparently, Pavel knew the time had come and he had to take it or he would regret the rest of his whole life. "I want it too. I hope… we can be together… until the end." He stuttered but at this moment, Cerise did not bother at all. She extended her arms and hugged him. Trying to hold his happiness, Pavel hugged her back carefully as he was afraid he would squeeze her roughly. And then, when Pavel looked at the whiteboard and he lost his words when he saw what they told him to do next.

"What's wrong?" Seeing he was acting weird and released her, Cerise asked.

Pavel's face was totally turned red as he tried to do what they told him to do. "Cerise, can I… can I… kiss you?" he asked.

"Did he need to ask?" the two soldiers sighed.

"Quiet!" Al stopped them.

At that moment, time was like it stopped. There were only two people, Pavel and Cerise were about to step to the next page of their lives. Cerise held her breath and closed her eyes. Behind her, Al and the two soldiers rapidly raised and lowered their arms to encourage Pavel. "Go! Go! Go!" they mumbled. Pavel slowly and softly held her arms. Their faces got closer and closer until their lips touched each other. Afterward, they did not want to leave the other out. They just wanted to be together forever. Meanwhile, Al and the two soldiers jumped on happiness, not because they successfully helped them, but because they were glad for them.

After a long kiss, they released each other but kept their hugging. "Thank you, Cerise," Pavel said. "I hope I will be worthy of you."

"You don't need to be that serious," Cerise smiled and comforted him and when they stopped hugging, he turned to where Al and the soldiers were hiding. "But before we wrap this up, all of you can get out of there."

"Wh-what are you talking?" Pavel was surprised and scared that they screwed up. But only the two soldiers stepped out while Al disappeared.

Seeing the two soldiers, Cerise was surprised but also doubted that they were the only ones supporting Pavel. "I know you too well. You wouldn't have enough courage to invite me to go out with you alone, without someone else's help. I thought it was Al, though," she explained.

"Actually, I did ask him. He was helping me the whole time. Along with them," Pavel tried to excuse and hoped that Cerise would not be angry.

"Surprisingly, I couldn't be mad. I think we own him big time," Cerise smiled at him. "But as usual, he disappeared with no one knew he was here the whole time."

"I told you. You don't see him, he sees you," Pavel smiled as the two soldiers left them to enjoy their time.

Meanwhile, Al was running like hell to the city square. The closer it was, the louder the voice of Tamarinne was. He could hear she was already singing and dancing on the stage. But when he got closer, it meant there would be more people. He had a hard time passing through them. And his effort was not wasted.

Everyone was gathering around the stage. On it, a female singer was singing and dancing tirelessly. She was wearing a black and pink dress, revealing her two white shoulders. She had light brown hair and a butterfly-like ribbon attached to her head. The lights were focusing on her. And the position where was a big blackboard placed, another "her" was performing as she did on the stage. Al did not understand what was happening above her but thanks to it, he could realize it was Tamarinne. He was surprised that a shy and fragile girl like her could sing and dance like that. He had never seen anyone like her before. And as he already knew, her voice totally reached people's hearts.

But as Tamarinne's performance went well, he looked around and saw an "old friend". A young girl who had long silver hair, with a familiar face, was standing next to a man taller than her one head, who had purple hair and wore green clothes. Behind them were her parents.

"Tamarinne is still amazing as always, even though it is the second time we saw her performance," Elena walked on her tiptoes and commented.

"You saw her before?" Elena's father asked.

"Yes, when the peace treaty was held, there was a festival in Perlands and Tamarinne did a performance as well," Elena answered.

"Ah right, you and Ray went to it. Looks like you have a good time." Elena's mother said. Thanks to the loud crowd, she could not see her's mother sadness hidden in her eyes. But her father did see it and held her shoulder.

"I still remember Elena was like a child back there," Ray smiled and teased her.

"Come on, stop it," Elena's face blushed and she hit Ray softly.

Seeing how both of them got along well, Al felt happy for Elena and felt sad that he could not be with her anymore. But it did not matter anymore. He could only keep moving on and wished the best for her. Suddenly, he felt like Tamarinne was searching for someone. He then kept moving closer while looking at her until their eyes met each other. Tamarinne was happy to see him and Al gave her a thumb up. Then, she was even more energetic and lively. And when her song ended, everyone clapped their hands loudly and destroyed the silence of the city. She kept singing a few more before night fell and everyone went back to their home.


	11. Chapter 11

On the second day of the festival, everything was going on normally and peacefully. After a hard and tiring night, Tamarinne still had a lot of energy left. When she said she wanted to explore the city, being afraid of having the same problem yesterday, Yuna suggested she should have a guard to keep him safe. At first, Tamarinne refused and insist that she could take care of herself. Thanks to Hazel's persuasion, Tamarinne decided to follow their advice. Meanwhile, Yuna contacted to Cerise and asked if she could go with the young singer, and Cerise made her mind quickly.

Going alongside Al, Tamarinne apologized to him. "Sorry for bothering you."

"Don't be. It's my job, too. But I agree that letting you go alone would not be safe for you," Al comforted her. He looked at her again and dodged her eyes when she turned to him. He scratched his cheek and said. "And… one more thing, you were really amazing yesterday. I'd never thought you perform so well. You were like a goddess on there."

"Please don't say so. It's embarrassing," Tamarinne responded shyly.

"I haven't understood yet," remembering something, Al asked. "When you were on the stage, I saw another "you", bigger, on the place which was the blackboard. Did you use magic?"

"No, it's not what you think," seeing his curiosity, Tamarinne explained. "We used cameras to record and transmit to the screen."

"A… what?" Al had no idea what she was talking about.

"How should I explain…" Tamarinne thought hard of how to explain to him. "You did see some black boxes the students carried on their shoulders and aimed around the stage, right? They are called cameras," she said.

He did see a camera before yesterday when the soldier showed him. However, he did not understand how that tiny box could create something completely different that night. "Is it the same as the box we used to create realistic pictures?" he asked.

"You can say that. But rather than taking only one picture, it takes many pictures in one second. If you place them together, you see the scene is moving, like what our eyes see normally," Tamarinne said.

"So… those cameras take hundreds of pictures and then send them to the screen. It's amazing that they can do it. It's like everything is written down, not by words, but by pictures," Al commented.

Seeing how he quickly understood and was eager to learn new knowledge Tamarinne could help but smiled at him. "If one day you can visit Reingar, I'll show you around, there are a lot of things that I think you will really like," she suggested.

"Actually, I decide to go Reingar once the festival is over. It would be great, though," Al said.

"What about your job?" Tamarinne asked.

"I'm just working temporarily. It was thanks to Cerise that I was appointed. After a while, the city lord wanted me to take the Head of the Aakhen Security position. But I refused," he explained.

"May I ask why?" Tamarinne wondered.

"I don't feel like I'm worth it," he said pessimistically. "I am too young for such a high position. Even though I refused, the city lord said he only appointed who he saw worthy. He said that I don't have to take the position right away. He also mentioned something about... social or public position and so, and having them will help my life more than I think," Al seemed to struggle to understand what the city lord's intention was. He continued. "I haven't understood what he wanted to say so it is more than one reason why I refused his proposal."

When she heard what he said, Tamarinne thought for a few seconds. After that, she commented. "I think the city lord wants everybody to respect a talented and kind-hearted person like you. From the day I came to this world, I have seen many types of people, but it's always great to get along with people like you."

"Not sure if I…" suddenly, he felt something strange and asked uncomprehendingly. "Wait, what do you mean "came to this world?"

"Honestly, I was not born in this world," When she answered, Tamarinne wondered if he would believe her but it did not matter much. "I came from another world through a dimensional crack, the same with my childhood friend, Yuna. My real name isn't Tamarinne, it is Somi Choi. And the world we came called "Earth"," she continued and that made Al surprised and lost his words. "It's weird, right? Maybe with people in this world, they might think me crazy or something," Tamarinne smiled to him.

Did not want to make her sad, Al decided to find out more about what she just said later. "Must be a douche-bag to think so," he said but if it was the truth, then Tamarinne was more amazing than she already was, he thought so. "I'm… really not sure how you could hold up," he wondered.

Tamarinne was surprised when he believed her without asking anything else. Smiling in relief, she explained. "It was thanks to my friends in Reingar. When I came to this world, I lost my memory, then Katis and Karin found me. And later, I realized I was supposed to participate in an idol contest. It was when I recognized Yuna, the close friend who disappeared suddenly."

The more he knew about this girl, the more he admired her. "You're… amazing than I thought you were. Being thrown to another strange world, it must be tough to keep yourself together."

"When you said that, I'm more amazed when you believed me without any question," Tamarinne smiled.

"I don't see the reason for you to lie to me," Al smiled back. "So… your world, is it like this word?" he asked.

"Lots of differences. Our world is more modernized. The machines you have seen just a small leaf in the forest. It is thanks to Yuna who recreated them. She is always smart but it is why not many people like her. They think she is odd and strange," she answered.

"People often hate what they don't understand," Al commented.

Remembering Yuna, he still thought hard about her. Until this time, he was not sure to believe what she and her guardian said. Then he thought about himself. If what they told him was true, he wondered what was the purpose of his existence. He lived just to be killed and forgotten by everyone.

"Are you okay?" Seeing he was silent and struggled, Tamarinne asked worryingly.

"No, nothing. I'm okay. Thank you," Did not want to worry her, Al said. "I'm thinking I may be a bit of over-cautious. You know, the Aakhen city is a bit conservative. When those machines and stuff from Reingar came here, a lot of people didn't like their appearance. They thought they were some kind of dark magic. When I was patrolling around the city, I saw some suspicious group and person, so I thought they might try to sabotage the festival. But until now, I'm glad nothing bad happens."

"It's always better to be safe than sorry. You don't have to feel bad if you worry something dangerous will happen. But it also means you don't want people to get hurt. And it's admirable," Tamarinne commented.

"You're exaggerating," he smiled embarrassingly.

And Tamarinne kept encouraging him. "I'm not."

Suddenly, when Al and Tamarinne were chatting joyfully, a soldier came to him. He asked. "Sir, may I have a moment?"

The soldier seemed to be worried about something, Al asked back "What's wrong?"

The soldier looked at the young singer as he did not want anyone else to know. He looked at Al and recommended. "It's better if you follow me."

Having doubt, Al and Tamarinne followed him. When they came to an alley, they saw another soldier and a sorcerer was gathering to something. Feeling strange and suspicious, Al asked the soldier to look after Tamarinne, when he came to the other two, he was totally surprised. On the ground, a dry and cold dead person was lying. This person's skin attached to his bone. All the organs were lost, including eyes, brains, heart, everything.

Looking at the corpse, Al felt nothing but strange and doubt, he asked. "Do we have any info?"

The sorcerer checked the corpse again and gave a conclusion. "It… looks like some kind of dark magic."

"How long has he been here?" Al asked.

"We're not sure. It could be a few days or weeks. Dark magic often leaves very few clues and it is hard to investigate," The sorcerer answered.

Checking the corpse again, Al showed his doubt. "Are you sure it is dark magic?"

"I have been a sorcerer for 30 years. I don't believe I mistake," the sorcerers confirmed firmly. "It is kind of similar to the dark magic that the Church of Ilryos used on the Suin's race to produce dark stones not long ago."

"What's your suggestion, sir?" the soldier next to the sorcerer asked.

After considering, Al said. "We need a team to search if there is another corpse. I need someone to report to the city lord and the administrator as well," Realizing something wrong and it was happening, Al started worrying. He then rushed back to Tamarinne. "I'm sorry, but I have to take you back to Reingar's students."

Looking at his stressful face, Tamarinne asked concernedly. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Let's go."

After Al escorted Tamarinne back to the Reingar's flying ship. He went to the midtown of Aakhen. A team of sorcerers and soldiers saw and called him. They said they found a few more corpse and they were killed like the first corpse. Some soldiers were on the way to report to Furious and Cerise. Meanwhile, they also spotted a group of suspicious priests came together to a dark alley. Al and the team went to the last place they saw the priests. It led them to a small house. Looking outside, it was no different than a normal house. A soldier knocked on a door but they did not hear any response. They checked and saw the door was not locked.

They opened and checked the house. It had nothing inside, no furniture, no living room, no kitchen, just a big and large empty house. The searched around and saw a red curtain covering a room. They slide it and saw a basement door. Al decided to leave two of them to watch over the house while the rest would go down to the basement.

They opened the door and stepped down. It was a dark and long stair. When they came down, they saw a dungeon with a lot of locked doors from both sides of the wet corridor. Attached on the wall was a candle next to each door. They checked the small window on each door and saw nothing. Then, one of them heard something like prayings. It came from the end of the corridor. It had a large door blocked them. Fortunately, it was not locked and they could open it easily.

The next thing they saw was a large room. In the middle of the room, a group of priests was doing a ritual. At the center, they saw a few corpses of young women and their organs were taken out. The whole scene had a strong and disgusting smell. Not wasting any time, the team decided to neutralize them all and stopped the ritual. But when they took down the priests, they could them laughing maniacally.

Al grabbed one of the priests and asked. "What have you done?"

"It's too late," the priest laughed insanely. "Now the gods will punish those heathens. Not only Aakhen, but the whole Cidonia continent will be cleansed."

After that, they saw lots of black lightning sparked in the middle of the air. A purple magic seal appeared on the ground. Next, an explosion banged and blinded them all. When they opened their eyes, they saw a black ball floating on the air. While they did not understand what it was, it suddenly moved and sucked everything inside the room. The gravity force was small and neglectable. But after it sucked the organs, another explosion bang. This time, the black ball was bigger. Then it kept sucking. Al and the team realized the bigger it was, the more it needed to eat. They tried to stab, cast spells, even shot bullets and arrows, but the ball was unharmed. It was even more aggressive and until the third explosion, it became bigger than ten humans combined.

Suddenly, a flashback appeared in Al's mind. He knew what and how dangerous it was. "Run," Al screamed out loud and everyone quickly ran to the escape point. But a soldier who ran last was sucked by that monstrous ball, Al tried to help him but he refused and told him to get out of this place. When they ran upstairs, everyone rushed out of the house. At the moment when they were out, another explosion banged and it destroyed the whole house.

From the remnants, a humanoid black-figure raised up. It had a few tentacles on its head and arms. When everyone did not know what was happening, the black figure started using its tentacles to grab things and pulled them to it. It did not care what it was going to absorb: tables, chairs, meats, fruits, even humans were on the list. Al and the few sorcerers and soldiers tried to hold it down and rescued the citizen.

Then the black figure then looked at Al and charged to him. It was like it knew he was the dangerous being and needed to be terminated. It was so fast that Al had a hard time to dodge. He tried to shoot at it but it was useless. The black figure seemed to absorb everything it touched and Al had no choice but to dodge.

Suddenly, a green magic spell looked like a wolf came and grabbed the figure, pushed it away from Al. Pavel and a group of gunmen had come in time. No wasting time, they shoved bullets to the monster immediately. It was effective and pushed it back. Al realized those bullets were cast with magic. Suddenly, the monsters stood up, absorbed all the bullets and created another explosion. But this time, it came with a strong shock-wave that knocked everyone out.

Trying to get up, Pavel asked Al. "What the hell is that thing?"

Shaking his head, Al helped Pavel to get up and said. "I'm not sure but we have to kill it quick. If we failed, not only Aakhen, but the whole continent will be destroyed."


	12. Chapter 12

Earlier, Ray, Elena, and her parents walked together in the city square. When they were wandering around the stalls, the High Priestess spotted a horoscope stall. It reminded Elena and Ray what happened to Perland's festival over a month ago. They were invited from a so-called horoscope fortune teller and got scammed for it.

Seeing the horoscope stall, Elena shouted to the doctor. "Look, Ray, it's a horoscope stall."

Remembering what happened, Ray smiled. "Yeah, it reminded me when you acted strangely. But later I understood that you only wanted to get my attention."

"So how was it going?" Elena's mother asked.

"I didn't notice at first. But she was really cute back then," Ray teased her daughter and said.

"Come on, you embarrassed me. But you're right. I thought if I just acted pretentiously, you might notice my feelings." Elena spoke and hit Ray's belly slightly.

"In the end, you confessed to me. I should apologize to you for not noticing sooner," Ray smiled softly.

"No worry. Want to take another look at our future?" Elena looked at the horoscope stall and asked Ray.

"Why not?" Ray responded.

When the young couple came to the stall, Elena's mother said sadly. "She's very happy, right?"

"She has her own choice, and I'm glad that Ray is a good man. She is lucky to have a life partner like him," Elena's father comforted her. "I know you're sad about Al but believe me, he will overcome it. Sooner or later, he will find his own happiness."

"I hope so," Elena's mother nodded.

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud bang. It was the moment when Al and his team got out of the dungeon. They stuck in a fight and thankfully, Pavel came in time to support him. After the next explosion which released a shockwave and knocked everyone out, Al and Pavel had to do anything they could to kill the monster but it was easier said than done.

Getting up with the help of Al, Pavel spoke annoyingly. "Does this thing never die?"

"One thing for sure, magic does affect it. Keep pouring on him whatever we got," Al said.

"How do you know?" Pavel doubted.

"It's complicated and now it's not the time. Oh sh…"

Suddenly, the monster threw a big pile of bricks to Al and Pavel, forcing them to dodge. After that, it kept attacking Al and no one could explain why. At least, they could use this chance to attack it. When it was about to grab Al, a cold and freezing wind froze its arm, and it shattered in piece immediately.

"Cerise, you came," Pavel was happy to see Cerise had come with her father and an army of sorcerers.

Rushing to Pavel, Cerise sighed in relief. "Pavel, Al, you two are okay."

Seeing Furious also came with his daughter, Pavel told Furious what he knew. "City lord, this thing is only damaged by magic spells."

"Good," Furious nodded and raised his hand. "All soldiers hear my command. Evacuate and protect the citizens out of the city. All sorcerers, attack."

After Furious's command, all sorcerers cast and threw hundreds of fireballs, lightning, ice arrows… to the monster. It was effective and forced the monster unable to fight back. But after getting enough damage, it started creating another explosion.

"Look out! Another shock wave incoming!" Pavel warned.

"Barriers, raise!" Cerise commanded a group of sorcerers created a white and hollow barrier to protect everyone. Even with the barrier, the shock wave was really strong and destroyed a few houses. After the bang, the monster was still standing and even bigger than before. At this time, it had the size of a medium house.

"Ugh… just die already," Pavel shouted angrily.

"Save your breath. Cerise, can you please freeze him?" Having an idea, Al asked Cerise.

"No problem," Raising her staff, Cerise summoned another frozen wind and iced the monster.

"Pavel!"

"Got it!"

After Al called him, Pavel aimed his gun-sword and released a green fire wolf. Al jumped and rode on the wolf and charged to the frozen monster. When the green fire wolf bit the monster, Al jumped high and summoned a fire seal, before releasing an enormous fire surrounding and burning the monster from above. When he tried to reach a balcony, he failed and fell down.

"God damn it, Al. If your arms are shot, don't try to jump around and reach things out of yours," Pavel screamed out loud while looking at the falling Al. Fortunately, a strong wind came from nowhere and helped him land on the ground.

The Suin doctor, Jecht, came for the rescue. "Just in the nick of time," he teased him.

Standing by his side was Cartujar laughing at Al. "Need assistance?"

"The more the merrier. Look out!"

When Al shouted, seeing the monster was attacking them, Cartuja quickly smashed the ground and created a stone wall. Obviously, the wall was not able to stop the attack but Cartuja then punched the remnants rapidly to the monster. However, it absorbed all the stones and bricks.

"Careful, physical attacks don't affect it. And when it absorbs an amount of damage, it will release shock wave and explosion," Al explained.

"Then I will help to defend the sorcerers."

After Cartuja's sentence, a circular wind ball appeared next to the monster's face, before it exploded and knocked it down. Afterward, an orange seal appeared on the ground where it stands and another strong fire was released. Next, a strange man who wore full black cloths and had short blonde hair charged to the monster with his magic blade on his hands. He moved, jumped and slashed the monster rapidly without catching a breath.

"Never thought I would find an interesting challenge here," said a young, beautiful and elegant girl stepped out. She had long dark blue hair and was holding a fan.

Another woman who seemed to be one attacking the monster by fire. She had long red hair and stood next to the younger woman. "Bellona, you seem excited," she smirked.

"Not always we see a strong opponent, right, Aramintha?" She looked and mocked the woman. "And it looks like I'm not the only one who got excited."

"Watch out, another explosion," Cerise warned them and another wave of white barriers raised up, with the assistance of Cartuja's stone wall. However, they were not enough strength to withstand the powerful explosion. It created a shock wave that dispelled the barriers. Everyone was once knocked down again. As it was like before, the monster's size increased. Then, while everyone was withstanding the aftershock, the monster found Al. It grabbed and squeezed him hard.

"Give me your greed," It spoke in a demonic voice.

Holding his pain, Al said and he also angered it. "It's mine to keep."

Without saying anymore, the monster squeezed him and Al could hear his bones were broken one by one. It then smashed him on the ground rapidly, before throwing him away in the shocked and surprised eyes of everyone. Al was thrown piece through walls by walls, until he stopped and fell down, and lost his conscious. He could not move anymore.

When on the way to the explosion, Ray, Elena, and her parents saw something fell on the ground. The dust blocked their views for a few seconds before Elena recognized him. "Al?" she said in shock lost her words. She screamed and called his name desperately, but Ray stopped her.

"Elena, stop! Don't touch him yet!" Ray shouted out and carefully checked on him. Just on the outside look, Ray could only say bad news for them. "He's still alive but… he will never wake up. Even if he does, he won't be able to walk again."

Later, a group of soldiers, while evacuating the citizens, found Al. With Ray's instruction, they carefully put him on a cart and carried him away.

Seeing Elena was running away, her father asked. "Elena, where are you going?"

"I need to find the one did that to him. Even if I can't kill it, I will make sure it won't happen to anyone," hiding her tears, Elena looked at Ray. "There must have a lot of injuries and wounded. Mom, Dad, and Ray, please help them. I will go to the battlefield and help others." Elena showed her determination and left.

On the way out of the city, Ray asked Elena's parents. "But who is him, anyway?"

"A childhood friend of her," Elena's mother responded sadly. "He was appointed to be her guardian but a lot of things happened and he had to leave Constella," she continued. "I'll explain to you later. Right now, please, do what you can to save him," she begged Ray.

When Elena came to the battlefield, the monster had the size of a castle. "What… is… this?" she mumbled in shock. Despite numerous attacks, the monster was still standing strong while everyone was starting to be exhausted. A lot of sorcerers had fallen and never woke up. Instead of giving up, Furious still continued commanding and fighting until his last breath, so did Pavel, Cerise, and everyone. When the monsters attacked again, Elena quickly summoned a sparkly star on the sky, releasing a wave that granted everyone a yellow barrier. Not only that, they felt their strength was recovering, even it was slight.

With the help of the yellow barriers Elena created, everyone was able to sustain the damage without getting hurt. Thanks to Jecht's magic, combining with the strength of Elena and other soul weavers, they were able to keep fighting. Ras, Mercedes, Arky, Yuna, and Karzan had joined the fight but what they could do was to last the battle as long as possible.

Breathing heavily, Yuna asked her guardian. "Karzan, do you know what it is?"

"I do. Its name is Gula, the hungry beast," he answered. "It was born a long time ago at the same time as Orbis. As its name said, it is never filled. Its hungry has no limit and it will eat anything on its way."

"Can we able to defeat it?" Ras asked.

"We can. But it is a very long battle. Despite its hungry, its body has its own limit. In the end, it will destroy itself. All we have to do is to feed it until it dies," Karzan explained.

"Can you try to reverse time?" Yuna asked.

"No use. It can even nullify and absorb my power. As I said, if we want to kill it, we have to keep feeding it," Karzan said.

Yuna looked at Karzan's eyes and asked. "Are you hiding something?"

"Why do you think so?" Karzan tried to stay calm and asked back.

"I know you too long to realize when you are hiding something from me. Tell me, is feeding this monster the only way we can defeat it?" Yuna responded seriously.

"It is one method," Karzan struggled to answer.

"What is the other?" Ras asked.

"Awaking another potential threat," Karzan said.

"You mean… Al?" Yuna doubted but Karzan stayed silent.

Karzan looked at the Heir of the Covenant. "Ras, you may not remember, but Gula is not simply a hungry beast. It was born from the distorted need, or other words, greed. It can feed it through every living's greed for everything: food, money, powers and vice versa. Every time it wakes up, it is always a long battle lasted for days with countless deaths. Its size you see right now is not its true size. The last time we fought, it has a size of half of the Cidonia continent. Through time, it will get bigger and bigger," he explained.

"What happened at the last time we fought it?" Ras asked.

"Minos, who was in his 5th reincarnation in the 5th world, lost his master, who was also his wife. Fighting in pain, he was corrupted and destroyed Gula, but ended up killing both of them. As he died, he released a wave that wiped out everyone's memory, not only his but also Gula's existence," Karzan explained.

"So what makes Minos dangerous?" Ras doubted.

"Minos can potentially remove the recognition of an end-world entity from everybody's mind. Imagine if everyone has no knowledge about it, they can't prepare and prevent it." – Karzan responded.

"But if he dies, does he also recover everything?" – Yuna asked.

"Since Gula eats everything, even Minos's power can't recover things which are destroyed by Gula. In other words, Minos can only recover what he destroys, not from anyone else's work. In this case, we have Gula. In the battle where he killed both him and Gula, no one remembered anything, even the dead ones. Nothing was recovered back to that time," Karzan kept explaining.

Although Ras understood Karzan's concern, he still requested. "Even so, Karzan, I want to ask you to awake Minos's power."

"Are you sure it is the right decision?" Karzan asked.

"I know you are afraid of Minos's corruption but right now, he is our only hope. Look around you, everyone is exhausted and it is just only a few hours. No matter how strong you are, eventually, your endurance will be drained out. If you don't do anything, it will end up badly," Ras explained. "You said that Minos can only be corrupted if he is controlled by negative emotions, right? If we can help him to stable his mind, I believe he will become a trustworthy ally."

Inside a medical station, anyone who was hurt and injured was sent here for treatment. In a corner, Al was lying on a bed, heavily injured. His eyes were closed tightly and his face had no sign of life. Staying by his side was Elena's mother, who was watching over him. Meanwhile, Ray and other doctors were trying their best to treat the wounded and evacuate them as soon as possible. The battle was becoming fierce and brutal every second. Even when they were outside the city, they still could hear the scream of Gula. Looking outside, Ray lost his words when he saw a black entity, which was half the size of Aakhen city, fighting those stood on his way to satisfy its hungry. He was worried about Elena and he hoped she would return safely. Looking at Elena's mother, he wondered who could motivate Elena to rush and fight. It was not like her at all. She always acted like a mature woman and stayed noble as a High Priestess. Ray was her lover and he could not help but feel a bit of jealous toward the young Suin.

Not long after the discussion, Karzan and Yuna came to Al. Karzan used his power to stop the time so no one could notice them. Coming next to Al's bed, he looked at Yuna doubtfully and struggled. Yuna then held his hands, smiled at him and used her eyes to tell him. "Everything will be okay".

"Minos, I'm hereby calling for your awakening," catching a breath, Karzan started focusing. "Orbis is in danger and we need your help. Gula is on its way to eat everything and as its archenemy, you are the only one who can stop it," as he said, Karzan summoned a white orb and put it on Al's chest. They waited but nothing happened. When Karzan released the time stop but stayed hidden out of everyone's eyes, they could see tears on Elena's mother.

"Please wake up, Al," she said in tears. "Elena is in danger."

At that moment, Al opened his eyes. And his eyes were glowing a strange and mysterious white color.

Back to the battlefield, Elena was trying her best to protect everyone from her power. Eventually, it drained out her power and endurance. Her barriers started weaker every time she cast. Pavel and Cerise could see the exhaustion and tiredness in her eyes but they could not do anything to help. They started giving up. No matter how many times they attacked, the monster still held its ground and kept stronger and bigger every time it created an explosion. The only one who kept urging everyone to keep fighting was Furious. However, he reached his limit as well.

"Elena, watch out!" seeing a black energy orb charging towards her, Cerise alarmed her but she was too weak to even move her legs. As everyone thought it was too late, a white humanoid figure appeared in front of her, shielding her from the deadly attack and transformed the black orb into a white pigeon before releasing it.

"Al?" when Elena looked at his face, she could not believe the miracle happened in front of her. It was Al who was in his guardian form and wore glow white clothes. His hair was also changed from black to white. At first, she was surprised to see his strange appearance but it did not matter. She tried to move to him but he raised his finger and pointed to her forehead.

"Farewell, Elena," he smiled sadly and it was the last image she saw. Al was turning to ashes. Her tears rolled on her face and she lost conscious. Al caught her before she fell down. He put her next to safe place before looking to Gula. Thanks to Karzan's power, no one saw his action. As for Gula, it was not affected by Karzan's power and could move even time was stopped. When it saw Al, it started attacking him.

Saying no more, Al rushed to Gula. It attacked him but missed, or rather, his body was fading away and he reappeared standing on its arm. Gula tried to attack him a few more times but it was unable to touch him. Al then appeared on his head and pointed his finger to Gula, before he created a soft white wave.

"Sleep well, old friend!"

After Al had spoken to it, Gula's body started shattering to pieces on the air until they completely disappeared.


	13. Chapter 13

After the battle, Al and Karzan decided to adjust a few things. Aside from them, Ras and Yuna were the only ones who could remember the whole unfortunate event. After Karzan had moved the time, Al adjusted everyone's mind, letting them know that after a long battle, Gula, the hungry beast born from greed, was killed and shattered to pieces. They did not know the truth behind it. And when they realized they had won, the victory cry echoed the whole Aakhen city. However, no one ever knew the person who killed Gula. But it still remained as one of the hardest battles in history. The story of the hungry beast, Gula, had been written, or, rewritten in everyone's memory.

After the battle, the festival was unfortunately canceled. The city needed to be rebuilt before holding another one. The president of Reingar student council, Yuna, offered her help to Furious and he was gladly accepted.

As for Elena, she was found unconscious by her father. She brought to the medical station where Ray and her mother were treating the wounded. Ray and Elena's father found her mother was sitting on an empty bed, and when they asked, she said she did not remember why she sat there. Then, Elena was placed on that bed. Later, she woke up in the relief of her parents and her lover. They saw tears in her eyes, but neither she nor them could explain why she cried.

Several days later, Ras, Karzan, and Yuna was looking for Al and found him sitting near the graveyard of the city, where the fallen soldiers and people were buried. He looked at the graves sadly and silently. Many of them had died, lots of them were in their young age. Looking at the Heir of the Covenant, Al said. "Ras, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Ras responded.

Thinking for a few seconds, Al asked. "What do you think "peace" is?"

"It is… a time, or a moment where people can live happily, without worrying anything," Ras answered and wondered if it could satisfy him.

"Do you know what the Aakhen city called the soldiers? The one who keeps the city in check, or, keeping the peace?" Al asked another question.

"No," Ras responded weakly.

"They are called "Tax Eaters"," Al said. "They are blamed for doing nothing but still being paid every month and earn a lot of benefits not only for themselves but also for their families as well. Little does everyone know, they are the ones who likely gets killed if something goes wrong. Funny, right? They try to keep everyone safe, keep "peace", yet they are still be blamed. I wonder if "peace" ever exists but I guess war happens every time and everywhere, even in "peace" times. But they share similar things. In war, everyone always admires the heroes and heroines, but no one gives a damn about how many soldiers die."

Ras understood what Al meant. He did not mean to insult the heroes but he wanted to remind him about the unknown soldiers, sorcerers, and even civilians who died in the previous wars. Ras nodded. "I understand."

"You are supposed to be a symbol of hope, right?" Al asked another question. "The symbol that shines upon the darkness and rescues the world from despair. But do you know, if there is no despair, hope will never exist?"

"I know. Despair is born in the darkest time when people start losing hope, and then, hope appears, bring them up, unite them to archive the greatest victory," Ras explained and sat down next to him, which Al did not mind at all. "And inevitably, every victory always requires sacrifices," he continued.

"I'm not saying it's your fault," Al said. "I know that you lost a lot of friends who you value more than your life. I just want to find the answer: why them?" Al pointed to the graveyard. "We are supposed to protect them, to lead them to victory. They only want to live in peace, they have families, friends, and hopes for a better future. Why do they have to die to archive the so-called "peace"?"

"It is… because of greed. Starting from small "need", it becomes "want", and then it turns to "greed"," Ras sighed sadly. "Nothing can ever satisfy "our" greed," he added. Eventually, they realized the more time they spent talking to each other, the more they understood each other. Ras continued. "I have met a lot of people. Some of them let their greed over everything. The funny is, they "hope" it will bring harmony to them. It can be anything, money, power, even someone's death. And if things don't go as their way, they start blaming gods for not favoring them. And some people got involved and killed because of that greed."

"It was why Gula and me, were born," Al squeezed his fists. "Gula was a pure beast born from greed, while I was born by their delusions of "hope". And those delusions aren't coming only from human, but Suin, Elf, any races, even from animals," he added.

"But you are not like Gula at all. You still fight to protect something," Ras comforted Al and slapped his shoulder slightly.

"Not really, though. Everything has every two sides. If you are hope, then there will be something representative despair," he responded. "In other words, it means good and bad. Delusions are not only greed but also peace and happiness. And if "bad delusions" roots in me too much, I become another monster."

"I understand. But I have faith in you," Ras smiled at him. "I will do anything I can to stop you from becoming a monster."

"That's nice to hear," Al laughed.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Karzan asked next and Al nodded. "Why did you delete your master's memory about you?"

"He… what?" Yuna was surprised to hear the question.

"I was her childhood friend, well, in this life. One reason is the Constellans don't like anything that is not human beings, and I was reincarnated as a Suin so if they know a Suin is a close friend of her, it can affect her reputation," Al answered and they could see the sadness on his face. "Since she holds a high position in Constella, I don't want anything bad happens to her."

"It doesn't sound like a good reason to me," Yuna commented.

"Think of it as anyway you want," Al smiled sadly. "The main reason is… because I love her."

"If you love her, why don't you stay with her?" Yuna wondered.

"Because it's clearly she doesn't love me," he looked up to the sky and said. "She sees me as a close friend, no more, no less. Maybe you will say why I don't fight for my love, then I will ask why should I force her to choose me over someone she loves? It is not fighting for my love. It is forcing her to love me." Al said and at that moment, he was very jealous of Ray, who Elena chose but he still put her happiness over his. He continued, "And it might be my delusional thought, but… if she knows I love her, sooner or later, it will give her a dilemma between me and her lover."

"I see," Yuna realized his feelings. She said, "I did see some cases like yours. To them, it is always hard to confront the person you love, who loves another one."

"What are you going to do from now on?" Karzan asked.

"I decided to go to Reingar," Al stood up and looked at Yuna and smiled hopefully. "There are many things I want to learn, and I wonder if the Reingar president can accept me or not."

"Of course. You are always welcome," Yuna smiled warmly.

"Besides, you are the one awakening me. If one day I become corrupted, I want you to kill me," Al turned to Karzan.

"You have my words," Karzan nodded.

"Ugh… can you be a little more optimistic?" Yuna showed her annoying and everyone laughed comfortably.

When they were on their way back to the Reingar's flying ship, Karzan told Al. "Before we leave, there is something I want to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"You can try forgetting the past, but you can't wash it away. Wherever you go or whatever you do, you always leave your path and your mark behind," Karzan said.

As if he understood, Al just smiled and nodded. "I'll take your words for it."

The next day, the Reingar's citizens returned to their homeland. Looking down the Aakhen from the flying ship, Al wondered if they still remembered him, but it was impossible since he removed their memory about him. It would remain as one of the wonderful times in his life, knowing his adopted parents, the Suin villages, Pavel and Cerise, Elena and her parents. From now on, he wondered what will wait for him ahead.


	14. Chapter 14

When the ship floated on the sky, the young Suin looked the Aakhen city from above excitedly. In the past, he did hike with his parents to look over the Constella city. However, the difference between looking down from a flying ship and a high mountain revealed clearer. From this flying ship, Al could see the clouds floating alongside the ship. Everything looked so small but beautifully stunning. Al swore he could look at the city for all days. Seeing how he was excited, Yuna was glad that he really enjoyed the trip. According to her, it would take three days to fly from Aakhen to Reingar.

Accompany with Al was Tamarinne, the young singer. She was having a hard time following him and explained the new stuff he saw around the ship. Thanks to her, Al knew another fuel to cook foods without using coals and woods, and Tamarinne did not forget to remind him that the gas was not safe for health. Whenever he smelt the gas, he must find a source and stopped it from spreading. Obviously, Tamarinne alone was not enough to satisfy his curiosity and it was when Yuna stepped in. She was the one who explained to him how the ship could float and fly and showed him how the machine worked to make it happen.

Another thing that surprised Al was the ship flew lightly and did not shake like normal ships on the water surface. Inside the cabin and the ship itself, everything was placed perfectly and did not give a sense of tight and narrow space. The restroom was very comfortable and had a glass window to look outside. The ship also had a common room where everyone could gather here, chatting, reading books, or spending time with their friends, and playing some games. Eventually, Al was invited to play some of them and he was so bad that he could not even win one. However, seeing everyone was laughing joyfully, including Tamarinne and Yuna, he did not bother much.

Three days later, the ship nearly returned to Reingar. Looking down, Al saw an island and a city placed next to the edge of the west island. Although the view was not clear, he still could see many houses and buildings surrounded by a big tower in the middle of the city. The city also had some walls placed inside it, separating areas.

But it was not until the ship landed and I could not speak anything. He was totally surprised and shocked at how strange and modernized this city was. It had a combination of the gothic and modern style. When landed, Al saw some strange machine came in and came out, bring goods out of the ship. It looked weird and funny at the same time.

"Welcome back, President Yuna.", a group of students welcomed her warmly.

"Thank you, everyone," – Yuna responded politely. She then asked, "Is everything okay?"

"I hope you will…" while Yuna was talking with the group of students, Tamarinne looked for Al but he already disappeared. She searched and asked everyone around the ship but he was nowhere to be found. Worryingly, she rushed to Yuna and asked. "Yuna, I couldn't find Al."

"Wait… what? But he was with you the whole time," Yuna was surprised to hear so.

"Was he fallen out? Please don't let it happen," Tamarinna asked while looking around the landing zone.

"I think we should post leaflets to find a missing cat," Yuna suggested.

"Perhaps we…" realizing something was wrong in Yuna's sentence, Tamarinne spoke annoyingly. "He's not a cat. Now it is not the time for joking. I really don't want Katis to find him."

Back to Al, he was so excited to explore the Reingar's school. He totally forgot what Yuna and Tamrinne reminded him before the ship landed. At this moment, he was in a long and wide corridor. When his sense turned back, he realized he was lost.

"Which way to the landing zone?" Al mumbled and tried to remember how he ended up in this place.

While walking along the corridor, Al looked outside the windows to find the path back to the landing zone. But he was straying too far and did not realize he was walking the wrong way. Despite the heat from the sunlight, Al still felt a cool breeze blowing slightly. He wondered where the breeze came from. He did not know it was coming from machines called "air-conditioners" placed around the school.

"Stop right there."

Suddenly, a voice screamed out loud. Al turned back and saw a tall man, who had long black hair standing behind him. The man had two red eyes. He wore black clothes and some red lines on them. He also wore pieces of armor protecting his shoulder. And for some reason, he looked at Al angrily and annoyingly. Sticking with him were two bipedal machines, whose arms were replaced by Gatling guns. Between those bipedal machines was a cylinder machine whose size was small and had a red light on his head.

"I haven't seen you before. You must be an intruder coming here to steal Reingar's property," the man said without thinking any second.

"Well, that feels familiar somehow…" hearing what that man said reminded him of what happened back in Aakhen.

At first, Al intended to explain. However, he did try before and it did not work out well. Nevertheless, getting caught and imprisoned was even worse and either Yuna or Tamarinne would have a hard time finding him. After a few seconds, he made a decision.

"Stop," seeing Al running away, the man chased after him. After a few runs, he spoke loudly. "Dead or alive, eliminate the target."

"Target! Eliminating!" the machines spoke robotically.

"Great. Another psychopath," Al mumbled but he knew he did not have time to think anything else besides running.

The chasing was getting louder over time. Al was trying his best to dodge the bullets from the Gatling guns spreading bullets crazily. He dodged, took turned left and right, jumped and ran on the walls. While he was running, Al was glad that no one was here. They could get hurt innocently. When he saw a big open door, he ran into the room and closed the door quickly.

"Hold!" the man and his machines stopped. He looked at the small whiteboard above the door. It wrote "Biological research laboratory" in red words.

Catching his breath, Al wondered what made that crazy man stopped chasing him. He then looked around the room he just entered. It was a big room painted in white. He looked at the light and at this time, the electric light did not surprise him anymore. He saw some bookshelves and glass containers around the room. He looked into some of the glass containers and saw some tubes containing different color liquid, or small stones, or plants. He also saw a big container that had many white mice inside.

"They aren't to eat."

Suddenly, Al heard a girl's voice while he was wondering what those mice were used for. He turned and saw a young and beautiful girl. She had red long hair and wore full white and pink clothes. Her eyes had the same color as her hair. She wore a big knot that had the shape of a pink butterfly. From the first looks, it was like she had four cat ears but later, Al could see her human ears. Different from the man, this girl gave Al a friendly look but he could not lose his guard.

"May I ask who are you and why are you here?" the girl came closer to him and asked.

"Someone is chasing me. I know I am a strange man intruding your room but please, I have no ill intention," Al politely responded while keeping a distance from her. He did not want to make any more misunderstanding.

"Before we continue, can you please put this on your wrist?" the young girl gave him a brown bracelet that had a green light on it. "If you don't do anything wrong, you don't have to be afraid. Please trust me and put this on."

Although Al had no idea what the bracelet was for, he looked at the girl for a few seconds and decided to put it on his wrist. After that, the girl smiled and said. "Thank you. Now if you can, please answer my questions."

"I came from Aakhen and I was invited to Reingar by Tamarinne and… Uhm… President Yuna. I came here because I wanted to study. Back to Aakhen, I was curious about everything the Reingar brought to the city so I asked if I could come here. But when I came here, I forgot what Yuna and Tamarinne reminded me and got lost. I was chased by a man and some machines. I think you already knew what happened next," Al answered calmly.

"Thank you. Can you please tell me what President Yuna and Miss Tamarinne reminded you?" the girl asked the next question.

"Uhm… they told me to always stick which them and not to wander around Reingar myself. But I got too excited and I totally forgot what they told me," Al answered embarrassedly.

"It would be enough. Thank you for your co-operation. You can remove the bracelet," the young girl smiled satisfyingly before retrieving the bracelet.

"Can I ask why you believed me that easily?" Al wondered.

"This bracelet I asked you to wear is a lie-detecting machine, created by President Yuna. If you lied, the bracelet would have electrocuted you with a high voltage, enough to knock you out," the girl smiled. "Don't worry. As long as you're here and without my permission, no one can come in and arrest you. I will try to contact President Yuna later. Please make yourself as home," she comforted him.

"I…" Al felt surprised and relieved at the same time. He nodded, "thank you."

"Oh, we haven't introduced yet. My name is Carrot. I'm a researcher and this is my lab," the girl introduced herself and extended her hand.

Al politely did the same thing. "Please call me Al,"

"May I ask if your ears are real?" Carrot looked at his ears and leaned her body towards him as she was interested.

Al moved back and did not have courage to look at her directly. "Yes, and they are cat's ears," he hoped that Carrot would not see him as a test subject.

Realizing she was embarrassing him, Carrot backed off and complimented. "They look cute, really."

"Thank you," Al scratched his cheeks. No one had ever said that before.

While Carrot returned to her job, Al felt secure and started looking around. He still had no idea what her job was about, but she kept looking at something and wrote on paper, as if she was writing a report and so.

"Please be careful. Inside those bottles contains extremely toxicity," Carrot reminded him cautiously when he picked up a bottle containing a purple liquid. However, seeing Al was just being curious making her unable to be angry. Then, she saw him looking through a microscope and startled, Carrot came to him and asked. "What did you see?"

"What are those… things?" Al removed his eyes from the microscope and tried to find what he just saw, but he could not.

"Let me see," Carrot looked through the microscope and answered. "You just saw a type of bacteria."

"A… what?" Al did not understand what she was talking about.

"Bacteria is a small organism founded everywhere. They can't be looked at with normal eyes. We need to use a microscope, the thing you just looked through, in order to see them," Carrot explained to him but looking at his "I have no idea what you're talking about" face made her could not hold her smile. She continued. "To use simple words, bacteria can be seen as a living being, but they are so small that we can't look by our eyes, without the help of some devices," Carrot pointed to a microscope. "This thing is called "microscope", a device that helps us to see the bacteria."

"So… this "bacteria" thing… we can't see by our eyes, and they are everywhere?" Al asked doubtfully.

"Yes, even on and inside our body," Carrot nodded.

"But I thought our body contains only blood?" Al struggled to understand.

"And inside blood has a lot of bacteria. I can't explain to you the whole thing but since you come here to study, I can spend sometimes to teach you," Carrot smiled and suggested genuinely.

"It will be great. Thank you," Al wanted to learn more but he realized Carrot had works to do and he was taking too much of her time for his selfish curiosity.

Outside the laboratory, the man who chased after Al was nervously walking in front of the door. He was not sure if he should charge into the room. Meanwhile, the machines were waiting for his order.

"Should I storm in? This room is dangerous and I don't have Miss Carrot's permission," the man mumbled. "But Miss Carrot can take care of herself… Wait, it's been too long, what if that worthless criminal already captured her and forced her to do as his wills," the man started being paranoid and thought dirty things between Al and Carrot. And he quickly made a decision.

"Charge! And eliminate the criminal!"

Inside the lab, while Carrot was working and Al was happily and curiously looking through to see many types of bacteria and viruses, they heard a loud bang startling them. Afterward, they saw the bipedal machines stormed in and started shooting, whether if they recognized Carrot or not. Without thinking any second, Al rushed and used his whole body to protect Carrot. They ducked down trying to avoid the crazy shooting. Suddenly, when the bullets hit some bottles, they created loud explosions and different color smokes. And the fire started flamed on.

"Katis, stop!" Carrot shouted loudly but her voice could not reach the man.

Seeing the fire was on and the smokes were bigger by time, Carrot realized she had to do something before it was too late. She tried to reach her table and slammed a button on it. Realizing she was trying to do something, Al used his body to cover her. After she had succeeded, the laboratory's lights changed from white to red and flashed rapidly. Then, from all around the lab, white smoke and water were released to extinguish the fire. But potentially, something else even more dangerous was released.

"Hang on Al, and don't breathe," holding two gas masks, Carrot saw Al was coughing very hard and he had the shortness of breath syndrome. She could easily wear the mask but Al was unable to wear it due to his cat ears and Carrot had to hold the mask for him. She carefully told him and softly stroking his back. "Okay, it's okay. Just keep breathing."

"Katis, stop right now," From outside, hearing the alarm, Yuna, Tamarinne, Hazel and Karin rushed to the laboratory as fast as they could. They then saw Katis and his machines were shooting recklessly and non-stop.

"President Yuna, I want to report you that a filthy criminal has infiltrated our school and capture Miss Carrot. I request for termination the target," Seeing Yuna, the man named Katis reported his action.

"Whatever it is, stop immediately!" Yuna shouted and the machines stopped. When they entered the lab, Yuna screamed, "Carrot, are you okay?"

"We're okay." Seeing the machines had stopped shooting, as well as Yuna's voice, Carrot helped Al and they both got up.

As for Al, his view started being blurry. He could not stand still and his body moved unwillingly. He felt very tired and could not hear anything anymore. He then looked down and saw something was coming out from his body. The floor started getting wet by some liquid and the last thing he saw was Yuna and Tamarrine rushed towards him.


	15. Chapter 15

Seeing Yuna and Tamarinne rushed towards Al, Carrot realized there was something wrong. She turned and Al had already collapsed. He was lying on his blood. The young researcher was shocked when she saw his right belly was totally missing. The bullets from the machine's Gatling gun tear it down. Despite the terrifying, Tamarinne squeezed her hands as she was praying and started singing but the magic from her beautiful voice could not heal his serious wound and woke him up. Fortunately, the bleeding was stopped.

Trying to adjust and patch his wound with Carrot, Yuna screamed at the one who did this to Al. "Katis, what have you done?"

Hazel, Karin, and Katis were surprised and shocked. The young president they knew was always energetic, friendly to everyone if it was not a bit of childish. From the day she went to Orbis, they had never seen she was angry with or shouted at anyone. Aside from Al was on the line between death and life, there was something more and Yuna could not keep her calm anymore.

"Yuna, Tamarinne, you two need to wear gas masks as well," Carrot quickly gave them two gas masks.

At first, Yuna and Tamarinne did not understand what she meant until they saw weird color smokes spearing the laboratory, along with some broken glass bottles and tubes. "Oh no…" realizing what Carrot meant, Yuna and Tamarinne lost their words. They quickly put gas masks on.

"Hazel, can you please call an emergency medical team?" Carrot looked at the stunned Hazel. She had to scream her name to wake her up.

"We also need to quarantine the school right now. From this point, no one out or in the school without the medical check authorization. I will be in charge of it." Yuna told Hazel before she left. Seeing she could not help anything but hope, Yuna stood up and came closer to a young girl who was wielding a katana. She commanded. "Karin, I want you to put this man in a holding cell."

"For destroying property?" Karin was still shocked at the angry Yuna. She asked for confirmation.

"Worse, for releasing deadly diseases," Yuna gritted her teeth before she left without looking back.

Giving a medical mask to Katis, Karin escorted him to the holding cell below the school's underground. She had the machines which were under his command to help her. While walking, Katis looked at Karin and asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm… not sure…" the young girl stuttered. "But if Yuna is that much angry, I guess you did."

"I was just… trying to protect Carrot…" he looked back and saw a medic team rushed into the laboratory.

"And you destroyed the lab and released something very dangerous," Karin looked at his lifeless face. She started thinking and put her hand on her left face, the place where Al slapped her brutally back in Aakhen city. From that moment, something awoke inside her but she was not sure and did not understand what it was. She then remembered how much joy Yuna and Tamarinne were when they hang out with that Suin guy. She realized something and looked at Katis. "The guy who you hurt… he is a good man. And he is the type that wills to do anything to protect his friends but, in a way..." she stuttered. Karin stopped for a few seconds. She needed time to think and finally, she admitted. "… in a way better than us."

"I see…" Hearing that, Katis realized he once made another mistake, he just did not understand it was a very serious one. Nearly killing Al was not the only reason why Yuna was so mad at him. He said. "I think I screwed up big time."

His sentence startled Karin. Even though she was not good at understanding the situation as Yuna or Al, she knew he did not only "screwed up". She turned to him. "I… don't think so, really."

As Yuna was working to quarantine the school, back to the lab, Carrot, Tamarinne and a group of doctors and nurses were trying their best to pull Al back from the dead. Thanks to Tamarinne, his blood stopped bleeding but her magic could not restore the damaged organs. Despite that, she kept singing in the hope that he could hear her even tears were rolling from her eyes. After a few preparations, the medical team put Al on a stretcher and rushed to the surgery room. Thankfully, the surgery room was not too far from the laboratory.

When they entered the room, Carrot decided to take charge of the surgery. Tamarinne had no choice but to wait outside. She sat on the bench and prayed that they would successfully save him. Inside the room, the team was hurrying in every second.

The surgery room was a large room and that had walls to separate smaller rooms. Each room had one stretcher and some machines used for the surgical operation. From both sides of the stretcher, there were a few small cabinets, a tray full of surgical equipment, such as graspers, clamps, occluders, needles, retractors, and vice versa... placed on a small tray on the top of small tables.

Not wasting time, the team quickly disinfecting Al injuries and damaged organs while starting blood transfusion. He lost a lot of blood so Carrot hoped they would make it in time. After stabling his blood pressure, two doctors started casting a green spell and extended their arms to Al's wound. They kept it steadily and one of them spoke. "Initiating restoring organs and skin."

Slowly, Al's wound was being restored. The situation was stressful as the doctors had to focus and stabilize their spells while the nurses had to clean their sweating. Meanwhile, Carrot kept looking at the electrocardiogram to check Al's heart rate.

After a few minutes, the doctors successfully restored Al's wound as if it did never happen. However, seeing something was wrong, the nurse shouted. "Blood pressure is decreasing!"

"What?" Carrot and the whole team were surprised. They started injecting medicine to increase blood pressure. But their effort went to waste when Al's heart rate stopped at zero.

"Performing defibrillation!" while everyone was not sure what to do next, Carrot quickly pulled out a defibrillator. She quickly peeled off two sticky pads and attached them to Al's chests. When she heard the "ping" sound from the defibrillator, she shocked him. The first time did not give any positive result and neither the second. "Please stay with me," Carrot mumbled, took a deep breath and tried once more time.

Miraculously, the third time resulted perfectly. Carrot sighed and smiled in relief when Al's heart started pumping again. But before she even caught a breath, she quickly turned down after they examined him again.

While waiting outside, Tamarinne never stopped praying for one second. She started blaming herself as if she had always been by his side, then nothing bad would have happened. But at that moment, she had no choice but to hope. When the door was opened, Tamarinne looked at the doctors and nurses left one by one, before Carrot came out.

"How is he?" Tamarinne asked with tears on her face.

"He's stable but…" Seeing Tamarinne's expression, Carrot said the good news but she knew she had to say the bad one. "… he is in a coma."

Hearing the result, Tamarinne was shocked. She asked. "Will he wake up?"

"I… I'm not sure…" Carrot startled. She squeezed her hands desperately. "All we can do right now is hope."

After Carrot's speaking, both of them stayed silent but Tamarinne did not let the sadness and despair took control over her. Decisively, she ran away.

"Where are you going?" Carrot wondered what she wanted to do.

"I will perform live music," Tamarinne turned back and smiled as she was not even sad at all. "Al said that he really likes my voice. Until he wakes up, I will hold a live stage every Sunday night. He is fighting and so are we."

Seeing how Tamarinne bravely accepted the reality and willed to move on, Carrot realized she had to have faith in Al too. They proposed that she would teach Al what she knew and she still remembered how hopefully Al looked forward to it. If Tamarinne would keep singing for him, then Carrot would keep taking care of him until the day he awoke.

As for Yuna, with the help of Hazel, she successfully quarantined the whole school. She also had organized and sent an announcement around Reingar. As she expected, the students and the Reingar citizens inside the school were nervous and stressful. They searched for the cause of the quarantine situation and when they found out, they wanted justice and punishment towards Katis.

However, when the rage was thought to be out of control, suddenly, they heard a beautiful voice came from all the speakers placed around the school. At the school's meeting-hall, Tamarinne was singing and dancing on the stage. Her magic voice started reducing the heat from the angry crowd. At first, there was no one but later, everyone started rushing to the meeting-hall and cheered for the famous idol of Ritania.

Although she was dancing and singing at the same time, Tamarinne did not forget to remind everyone to always keep themselves clean. She told them to often wash hands and always wore medical masks whenever they went to a crowded place. She cheered and reassured them that everything would be alright. The longer she performed, the likely the meeting-hall would be exploded. At the end of the day, everyone stayed calm wonderfully. They chatted and enjoyed the live stage as the quarantine was not serious at all and returned to their restrooms when Tamarinne was getting tired.


	16. Chapter 16

One week later, inside a rectangle room that had only one big table and two chairs placed opposite to each other, Katis was sitting on a chair. He bowed his head and stared at the table lifelessly. Surrounded him were thick brick walls and a door attached to a wall in front of him. When the door opened, he was surprised seeing who stepped in.

Sitting in front of him was an old man, who had short silver hair and a small white beard on his lips. He wore a white button-down shirt combined with a necktie covered by a complicated coat that had the combination of three colors: black, light blue and red. He also wore a coat that had two colors: the outside was white and the inside was crimson red. He wore a white glove on his left hand while his right arm was protected by a silver armor arm which had some symbols on it.

When the old man sat down, Katis looked at him but he did not look directly at the old man's eyes. "Sir Charles," he greeted.

Looking at the long black hair man, the old man named Charles sighed in conflict. "I have never thought one day you will be in here" he crossed his arms and said. "Do you know why?" he continued.

"I hurt a friend of President Yuna," Katis looked away.

Even though Katis dodged his eyes, Charles seemed to not be bothered at all, he asked. "Tell me, what happened?"

"I saw a Suin man…" Katis started remembering. "I thought he was an intruder so I warned him not to move. But he ran away."

"And you chased while commanding the machine to shoot him," Charles added and moved his back slightly.

"Yes…" Katis nodded.

"Did you acknowledge that the machines were heavy arms with live bullets?" Charles asked.

"Yes," Katis responded weakly.

"Did you give him a chance to explain why he was here?" Charles continued.

"No, sir," Katis looked at Charles and excused. "But if he hadn't run away, I would have simply neutralized him and reported to President later. Also, nothing could be sure that even if I asked, that guy would explain either."

As Katis was making an excuse for his action, Charles seemed not to satisfy with his statement. "Even if he tried to explain, do you think you would listen to him? And before Yuna knew what happened to her friend, you already forced him to commit a crime he did not make, am I right?" he said and Katis had no response. Charles continued, "You know, I'm kind of secured when you are serious about keeping Reingar university peacefully. Thanks to you and everyone else in Reingar public security's effort, we have the safest place of Ritania and I can always feel less worried when King Aither can study here without being assassinated. However…" he stopped.

"It's my job to keep wrongdoers out of the university and punish them for their crime," Katis felt a slight relief when Charles praised him, but not for long.

"As the crime rate is very low, the rate of unjust punishments is also over the top. Do you know what it means?" Charles muffled while putting his arms on the table.

"I would rather put potential individual criminals on a cell instead of letting them roaming around." Katis insisted. He continued revealing his stubbornness. "Everything can be considered later."

"And that "consideration" of yours often takes years to solve," Charles sighed disappointedly. He crossed his arms again. He looked away for a moment before asking. "What makes you think putting everyone in a prison is a good way to keep security instead of investigating carefully and find the true culprits?"

"The time of an investigation often takes a very long time to be done. And at the moment we know who the culprit is, they might escape already." Katis did not hesitate in a single second to answer and showed Charles that he did not do anything wrong.

Charles crossed his fingers and placed them on the table. He said. "So, you just pick up some random person, toss them to a cell, torture and interrogate until they admit a crime they have no part in it."

"Even if there is a slight chance of them being the true culprit, we have to take it. It's always better safe than sorry." Katis leaned his body towards Charles as a sign to persuade him.

"And what about the bigger chance they are not the culprit?" Having enough, Charles shouted. "Don't give me that non-sense slightly chance crap to excuse your wrongdoings."

Katis was surprised of how angry Charles was. He had never seen him acted like this before. The Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword, who was known for his calmness and earned high respect from everyone never showed his anger to anyone, unless they really messed up. He said, "As I said, sir, I only want to protect the peace of Reingar."

"You don't protect anything," Charles sighed. He shook his head and continued, "You only want to show everyone your own selfish ego. And that ego is now having a prize to pay."

"What do you mean, sir?" Katis did not understand what he said.

"When you destroyed Miss Carrot's laboratory, did you even acknowledge what was inside?" Charles looked for Katis's response and as he expected, that man knew nothing. The Knight Commander continued. "Miss Carrot has been gathering a lot of viruses, or should I say, many types of disease samples from all over the Ritania. When you mindlessly and stupidly destroyed the lab, you also released deadly diseases that are capable of destroying the whole continent."

Startling, Katis started realizing his crime but he still kept his edgy stubborn. "But we have medicine to cure them, am I right?"

"No, you aren't," Charles muffled. "And yes, there are diseases can be cured, but there is not. Only the goddess Diche knows what kind of diseases were released and if they already spread to the rest of the Ritania or not. According to Miss Carrot, some diseases have a very high rate of infection and they can survive in some harsh environments. They can even spread through the air. Thanks to you, the whole Reingar is now in chaos. Everyone is anxious, the crime rate starts increasing, is this what you want?"

Seeing Charles was losing his calmness, Katis tried to reduce the heat of the conversation. "N-No, sir. I didn't think it could be that serious."

"Because you don't care anything at the beginning, except your ego," Charles shouted and slammed the table with his fist. After scaring Katis a bit, he caught a breath of calmness and continued. "Do you know that day, who was there?" he asked and obviously, Katis had no answer. "King Aither was there taking a walk inside the university."

Could not believe what Charles just said, Katis was trembling. "Excuse me, sir? You mean… the king…"

"You heard that right. My little, innocent king was having a beautiful day and you completely destroyed it. Not only that, you put his life on the risk," while talking, Charles's hands started shaking. "I swear, Katis, if anything happens to my little king, I will show you what the life worse than death is."

Looking at his eyes, Katis could not dare to look at them any longer. The infamous Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword was not someone you could mess with without consequences. He stuttered. "I'm… sorry…"

"You should be," Charles closed his eyes for a moment and tried to stay calm. Catching a breath, he continued. "President Yuna had mobilized resources and manpower to check what kind of diseases were released and compound medicine for everyone. In the meantime, you should pray for the Goddess Diche, repent your crime and ask her for forgiveness. You are now becoming the thing you want to exterminate your whole life."

When Charles stood up, Katis wanted to say something but he did not know what he should say. His mind was empty and he knew Karin was right, he did not simply screw up but created a disaster.

As he moved towards the door, Charles turned his head slightly and looked at Katis. "You are supposed to be given the death penalty but thanks to your works at a security officer and your part of the war in Perland, the punishment is mitigated but don't take it as a relief," as he finished his sentence, Charles slammed the door and left Katis behind.

Another week passed, on the top of the highest tower of Reigar, there was a cylindrical room which was used for the presentation of the Reingar student council. Inside the room, there was a big wooden table in the center. The room was built with a wall combined with glass windows. Each window had two light brown curtains. The room had a line of bookshelves placed bilaterally on both sides of the tables. Sitting next to the table was Yuna. She was working with some documents to make up for the mess Katis made. Helping her was the young and stunningly beautiful girl, who wore a pink uniform, Hazel.

"It should be enough," Hazel said while placing some paperwork for Yuna.

"Does Carrot ask for anything else?" Yuna looked at some documents and asked.

Checking the tablet on her hands, Hazel responded. "Currently, besides needing have more time to produce vaccines and medicines, she also gave a list of some ingredients."

"Make it a priority. I want to make sure Carrot doesn't lack anything." Yuna signed on some papers and gave them to Hazel.

While they were working, Karin opened the door and stepped in. "Lieutenant Karin reported."

"Oh, Karin, you came," seeing her, Yuna greeted. "How are things?"

"Everything is under control. Some individuals used this chance to seek profits and spread rumors but they are all arrested," Karin said.

Hearing that, Yuna doubted. "You… sure they are all guilty?"

"Don't worry, Yuna. I always check the case and look for victims and witnesses. You will be surprised that Karin has done a good job." Hazel comforted the young president.

Surprisingly, Yuna said. "If you said so."

Later, after finishing her jobs, Yuna, Hazel, and Karin came to an elevator to come down. When they were walking on the corridors, Yuna was relieved that things still went normal. The students were chatting and spending time with their friends without worry. Looking out from the windows, they could see the students were playing sports joyfully. Saying goodbye to Hazel, Yuna and Karin headed to a sickbay, where Al was taken care of.

Looking at him, Karin remembered what happened between him and her. She then turned to Yuna. "Yuna, can I ask?"

"Of course," Yuna nodded.

"Do you think I am a bit of… how should I say?" Karin was struggling to tell what was in her mind. "Like… I always thought the best way to prevent crimes is to arrest those who are responsible for…"

Understanding what she meant, Yuna said. "You're not doing anything wrong, but a bit of carelessness. Let's say…" she stopped before continuing. "When there is a case, if someone accidentally appears near the crime scene, you will lump him as he is the one commit it. So you grab him, throw him in a cell, interrogate him until he says he is the one responsible for the crime. Instead of investigating carefully to find the true culprit behind, you just accuse innocent people. This is when you are wrong."

"I see…" the young swordswoman nodded. "When this man slapped me, I realized that no one had ever done that to me before. Do you think because no one points out my mistakes, I keep doing them without consideration?"

"You can say that," Yuna added but she was glad that Karin finally considered more on her actions. "Al might go a bit overhead, but he wasn't mean. He wants you to open your mind a bit so you don't make any more mistakes. Do you remember what he said?"

Karin nodded. "Not always I encounter people weaker than me. If he hadn't been mercy, I would have been killed."

Seeing Karin did not fully understand what Al meant, Yuna started thinking and explained to her. "It's not really the main point. What he meant was when there is a crime scene, you should take time and investigate carefully. If you imprison an innocent person, you will give the true culprit a chance to escape," she continued. "If you do that, you are no better than those you hate. And yes, if you just mindlessly charge ahead, you likely will get killed if that person is stronger than you. And don't forget, not everyone is patient enough to explain to you and defend themselves from your attacking. It's even worse if that is the true culprit."

After thinking very hard and Yuna seemed not to bother waiting for her response, Karin slowly realized that she was not doing as good as she thought. She looked at Al and turned to Yuna. "I still don't understand fully yet but… I will definitely consider more if there is a case needed to be solved," she smiled.

"I'm looking forward to your success," Yuna brightly smiled.

In the evening, inside Yuna's restroom, the young president was working a little more to make sure everything was doing fine. After that, she started thinking of Al. She then asked. "Karzan, are you there?"

"Always," her guardian appeared immediately. "Do you need anything?"

"Not really, I just want to ask something," Yuna looked worried. "Do you think Al will wake up?"

"Hard to say," Karzan responded. "Although he can still be considered as a divine being, in terms of the constitution, he is the weakest among us, even weaker than Ras, the same as his healing ability. Whenever Ras is hurt badly, he will be in a dormant state and will wake up eventually but for Minos…" suddenly, Karzan felt uncomfortable when he spoke that name.

Seeing he stopped, Yuna asked. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing," Karzan shook his head. "Honestly, I would rather call him Al than Minos. I like his current name more than his real name," he said.

"I can't agree more," Yuna smiled. "Can you continue?"

"Of course," Karzan smiled back at her and spoke. "So, as I said, every time he lives, Al always has a very weak physical body. Surely, he is stronger than normal human but he still has a weak constitution comparing to me and Ras. If he is seriously wounded, he can die, physically, and reincarnates to another life."

After Karzan had explained, Yuna felt a bit sad but she still had a strong positive mind. She asked. "So, is there a chance for Al to wake up?"

"Definitely, he will, but we have to wait for a while," Karzan comforted her and Yuna seemed to be glad when he said so. They chatted a little more before Yuna went to bed.


	17. Chapter 17

Three months later, in the room where Al was in a coma, Carrot was looking at all the life-support machines. Although she was busy with her jobs, the young researcher always spent times to check on him. Just like Yuna and Tamarinne, she was looking forward to the day he woke up. Suddenly, when she turned her back on him, she heard someone was grunting. She looked back but saw no one. However, Al's head seemed to move as he was looking at her, but she thought it could be her imagination.

Another week, as usual Carrot was checking on him and surprisingly, Al opened his eyes. Holding her happiness, Carrot called his name many times. He moved his head and stuttered, "You… okay…", before he fell into sleep again. Carrot was surprised but she was happy as the same time.

The next day, Yuna, Tamarinne and Carrot was gathering together near Al's bed. When he opened his eyes again, this time, he fully gained his consciousness but his mind was still heavy as something or someone hit him very hard. He looked at the three of them and recognized one by one as he called their names.

"Thank god, you finally awake," Tamarinne could not hold her tears.

"See? I told you he will definitely okay," Yuna brightly smiled.

Trying to adjust the bed so Al could sit up comfortably, Carrot asked. "How do you feel?" Seeing Al could not answer her instantly, Carrot started worrying. "If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself too hard, okay?" she reminded.

Feeling thirsty, Al pointed to a cup of water and Tamarinne quickly gave him. When he was drinking, Carrot carefully helped him so he would not get choked. After drinking, Al said difficultly, "A bit of… dizzy."

Carrot examined his body temperature and the number was fine. She said. "It's because you haven't fully recovered yet."

Trying to remember what led to this scenario, Al only knew that the last thing he saw was Yuna and Tamarinne. He turned to Carrot and sighed in relief, "I'm glad you're okay."

"You already said that," Carrot could feel the care and worrying from him. It made her blush a little. She continued, "It was you that I was unharmed. Thank you."

Seeing her smile, Al felt a bit of embarrassment. He did not do it because he wanted her appreciation or something. He responded, "Don't mention it."

When Tamarinne brought to him a bowl of soup, Al looked around while eating. All he saw a medium room with some strange machines and one cord attached to his arm. That cord was also transparent and when he looked up, he saw a bag of water-like liquid attached the cord. Curiously, he asked, "How long have I been here, and where is it? What is sticking on me?"

"Slow down, and one question each time," Yuna stopped him before he asked more but she was glad that he did not change at all.

Tamarinne was thinking the same as Yuna and she answered him right away, "You are in a recovery room using to treat seriously injured patients."

"And you have been here for three months," Yuna said next but she was worried if he got shocked.

Surprisingly, Al asked, "That long?"

"Your wound was very bad," Carrot responded. She felt very worried but she did not like to show it in front of Yuna and Tamarinne. She continued, "I thought you wouldn't make it but thankfully, you returned from the dead."

"People said a cat has nine lives," Yuna smiled and said. "Maybe you used one already."

"Not sure if can I agree with that…" Al wondered and both Tamarinne and Carrot agreed with him.

Two days later, after appointing works for other researchers, Carrot left her office and came to Al. When she opened the door, she already saw Tamarinne and Al were chatting joyfully. The young singer was holding a tablet that showed human organs through body while the young Suin looked and listened to her introductions and explanations.

Pointing to the heart, Tamarinne said, "As you know, heart and brain are the most important parts of our body and vital to our life. Any damage on them will cause death immediately. Although not always but there is only a small chance that the patient can survive."

"So, the heart pumps blood through our body?" Al asked.

"Quite right. Connecting to the heart is blood vessels. You can understand them as small cord and inside those cords are blood," apparently, Tamarinne had a hard time to explain to Al as she knew the limit of her knowledge.

Carrot stepped close to them and said, "Try putting your hand on your chest. You can feel the pounding, right? It is the heart is working to maintain your life."

Following what she said, Al put one hand on his chest and she was right. He looked at her and asked, "It always beats until we die, right?"

"That's right," Carrot smiled and continued. "Do you know how many times a heart beats per minutes?"

Obviously, Al could not answer immediately. He kept his hand on his chest and focused. After one minute had passed, he said, "Around 70?"

"Close," Carrot nodded. "Normally, our hearts beat around 60 to 100 per minute. But when we are in stressful or anxiety situation or doing exercise, it will be faster and go over 100 beats," she explained more.

As they continued, Al learned many more things from both of them even though there were some fields he had not fully understood yet and Carrot promised him she would teach him whenever he wanted.

A few more days passed, Carrot started instructing Al to a physical exercise. Staying on the bed too long made his movement slow and clunky. Thanks to Carrot and Tamarinne's encouragement, Al could be able to practice despite the pain.

Another day, after Al had finished his exercise, he stepped out of the training room and saw Yuna was looking for him, "Do you have a moment? I have something you will like," she said.

Curious of what she meant, Al followed her and they went to the shooting range. It was a big open place full of soft grasses. From afar, Al could see some targets raised up and they looked like humans without arms or leg, just bodies and heads. Some of them were just circles with red smaller ones in the center. A few lines of sandbags also were placed and some students were leaning on them to practice.

When Al and Yuna saw Tamarinne stood next to a table with had some guns on it, the young singer waved her hand and greeted them. Afterward, Al looked at the weapons and he was interested in them immediately. They seemed modernized than any gun he had used before. Some of them had scopes attached on. Al did use a scoped gun before but none of them looked like them. When Yuna asked he picked one, Al immediately picked a sniper gun and he had no problem of reloading and testing the trigger. He also checked the chamber and barrels as well.

Things got more interesting when he looked through the scope. "Uhm… Yuna, I see some numbers inside a scope," he said. One thing from the scope that it was bigger than any scope he had seen, more like a small box, he thought.

"You can call it a "range finder"," understanding his wondering, Yuna explained. "From it, you can know how far you are to the target."

"That's… amusing," Al commented. He pointed to a target and saw numbers from the scope.

"Why don't you try a shot?" Tamarinne encouraged him. She looked like she was curious about his ability.

Thinking a bit, Al started raising the gun and he had a hard time to stable them. Probably because he had not been fully recovered yet. Seeing the sandbag line, he leaned his body and the gun on it. Thanks to it, the gun was steady and ready to fire. Al took a deep breath and so did Yuna and Tamarinne.

"Before you shoot…" Yuna had something in her mind and she thought it would be cooled if he did it. "Say: "Lockon Stratos, eliminating the target!" she said.

Unexpectedly, or maybe expectedly, both Tamarinne and Al starred at her before they looked at each other trying to figure out what Yuna just said.

"No?" Yuna knew that she spoke something awkwardly but she admitted she would like to hear him said so. "Move on, please," she said.

When he pulled the trigger, they heard a bang from the gun and a small fire from the muzzle, which happened in a second before disappeared. After that, Yuna looked through a binocular to find the target he aimed at.

"Wow, you hit!" Yuna saw a hole from the target.

Looking through the range finder, Al commented, "But it's not in the center." As he looked, the bullet seemed to hit the lower body but not the center and the head.

"The distance is 600m, and this is your first time?" Yuna smiled at him.

"For that far, yeah," he nodded.

"Then it is nothing to be shameful with. There are many things affect the bullet's velocity and vector. You can learn and practice anytime you want," Yuna encouraged him and he thanked her afterward.

The next week was one of the best times Al ever had in his life. Aside from doing physical exercises, he also studied with Carrot, hung out with Tamarinne and practiced with Yuna's instruction. What made the president surprised was Al could use many types of weapons. He explained that back in Constella, when his parents were still alive, he was trained by them. Remembering them made him sad and it was even sadder that he really missed Elena. Although she did not remember him anymore, he still hoped that she would be happy.

Another thing Yuna noticed was Al seemed to be good at guns than any type of weapons. As he explained, three years ago, his father returned, shouting joyfully and strangely that he saw a new face of war. From that day, Al was trained only with guns in Perland. And that was where and when he met Pavel, and became one of his best friends. Reminding of Pavel, Al wondered if he was doing okay. But as long as Cerise was with him, he would be fine.


	18. Chapter 18

While training at the shooting range, Al noticed a heavy atmosphere came from a group of students. Some of them seemed to like using guns while the others did not. Curiously, Al moved closer to them and eavesdropped their gossips.

"You know, I wonder why magic and every type of weapons, except guns, are still be used in the training course," one male student said while he was aiming with a handgun.

"I get what you mean," another male student agreed with him.

"Guns have so many essential elements comparing to other weapons. They don't take time to chant, don't need to get too close to the enemy, or need to reload every arrow," the male student gave out his idea. "They have high capacity and the only weakness is we are vulnerable when we reload. But comparing to bow and crossbow, guns are way too good and can ignore that weakness."

"You're saying that magic training is useless?" a female student seemed not to satisfy with that male student.

"I didn't mean badly. What I want to say is guns are better than any type of soldier or sorcerers on the battlefield," he responded. "The bullet can even penetrate barriers, shields, and armors."

"I think you are right," another female student nodded. "Although it still needs time to practice, guns are easier to use than anything."

Observing their conversation, Al could not deny what they said and wondered. However, there were some points that he did not agree with them. He moved near them and spoke, "I wouldn't say that guns are better than any magic or any weapons."

The group of students looked at Al and realized who he was. One of them asked, "What's your point?"

"You are right that bullets can penetrate barriers. However, even with one versus one, if the spell caster can cast a very strong barrier that can even deflect bullets, the gunman will be the one losing," Al explained.

"But it will take years to train in order to create such a strong barrier," another student commented.

"But it's not impossible, am I right?" Al said and they seemed to agree with him. "Same goes with an army. I think you already know that an army has many types of soldiers and sorcerers. They can be swordsman, spearman, archers, mages, medics, and gunmen. Each one of them has their own role on the battlefield."

"You speak as you participated in a war before," a female student doubted.

"It doesn't need to join an army to see that."

Suddenly, as Al commented, an old man stepped close towards them. Seeing him, the group of students was surprised and stunned. Al looked back and he was surprised as well. The old man, named Charles and known as The Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword, seemed to be interested in their conversation. Behind him was a female elf, who had long blonde hair and wore a white dress, which had a dark brown part extended from the neck to the belly. There were also some golden lines on her dress.

Following the female elf was another young girl, who had short dark blue hair. She wore a light blue shirt covered by a light armor protecting her body and short pants. Attached on her sides were two short swords. For some reason, she only focused on the female elf with her green eyes and totally ignore the young teenager standing between them.

The teenager had long blonde hair and a knot on his head. From the first look, he was like a girl than a boy but he could not make Al mistake. He wore white clothes covered by a light blue coat. When Al took a look at him, he sensed some strange aura from the young teenager but he was sooner impressed by the Knight Commander. Charles gave Al a feeling that he was not a typical old man, but a man who had been through many battles and wars.

Aside from his appearance, Charles was holding a white grip of a great sword whose blade was full black. Despite the heavy look, Charles could carry his sword by only one hand as if it had no weight at all.

Seeing the students were looking at Charles as he was some kind of high-class person, Al showed his respect by bowing his head a little. Charles smiled and waved his hand on the air. "Please don't mind me. Also, I would like to hear your thoughts on what you are speaking," he said.

Nodding his head, Al continued, "Imagine there is an army that has the combination of magic, guns, and swords. When the mages focus on protecting the front line with their barriers, the gunmen will fire from a distance while the swordsmen charge ahead for close combat. Even if the enemy uses only guns, they will sooner be overwhelmed by those combinations."

"Interesting," Charles looked at the young Suin. "What is your ideal commander?" he asked.

"An ideal commander is the one who can use his army's full potentials," Al answered.

Suddenly, Charles charged at Al. Despite his age and the heavy sword, Charles was so fast, faster than anyone Al had ever fought. His movement was like an unstoppable lightning surfing on the ground. Al was surprised and he could not react to his attack. Instinctually, he moved his body back and raised his pistol.

And when the short encounter stopped, everyone was surprised. Charles was holding his sword next to Al's leg while the young Suin pointed his gun to the Knight Commander's chest. While Charles smiled mysteriously, Al's face was completely terrified.

Passing by, Yuna and Tamarinne were surprised to see both of them. They rushed towards them quickly. "Sir Charles, what is going on here?" the young president asked. She hoped nothing serious happened.

"My sincere apology," Charles smiled while drawing back his sword. At the same time, Al lowered his gun as well. When Tamarinne got close to Al, he hid his hand behind his back and Tamarinne could see they were shaking very hard. Charles excused, "I'm sorry for the trouble but I just wanted to test this excellent young warrior."

His statement made the female elf surprised. The Knight Commander always showed his calmness and loyal to his king, and never praised anyone unless they truly impressed him.

"Can I ask your name?" he turned to Al and asked.

Hiding his fear, Al answered, "My name is Al, Al Dawkins, sir."

"My name is Charles, Charles Sharon. Oh, and don't be so formal to me. Right now, I'm not in charge of or commanding anything," Charles introduced his name before he left. "I'm looking forward to a day we have a longer conversation."

When Charles and his company left, Al could finally catch a breath. He breathed heavily and his breath was short as if his lungs were going to explode. Additionally, his body, arms, and legs shook strongly. His fear and state shocked Yuna and Tamarinne. They never saw him being so scared this much. They tried to soften his fear but it did not work at all.

"I'm not kidding…" Al coughed and tried to stand still but his legs did not respond to him. "If I am his opponent, I will be killed in a second."

After the small test from Charles, Yuna and Tamarinne walked with Al to the canteen. The canteen was a big place that had many tables and long chairs lined up. Some students were already here having chat or eating snacks. When the trio entered, they chose a spot and sat down. As for Al, his body did not stop shaking. He looked at both hands and they were the same as his body. While Yuna was sitting with him and tried to soften his fear, Tamarinne came to the kitchen and brought out some fruit juices. After that, she returned to the kitchen.

Trying to catch a breath, Al turned to Yuna, "Do you know who that old man is?"

"He is Charles, the Knight Commander of the Order of the Sword, one of the strongest knights in Ritania, if not the strongest," Yuna answered. She still had no idea why Charles wanted to test Al for the first time they met but clearly, she did not like it when she looked at how terrified Al was. "He's in charge of the whole Ezera's army, and the guardian of King Aither, the teenager you saw going with him," she added.

"Wow…" Al was surprised when he heard that. Remembering something, he asked, "What about the other two women? One of them is an elf if I was right."

"You're not wrong. The female elf is also a knight, and she's in charge of the Order of the Sword, which is under command by Sir Charles," Yuna said. "Her name is Iseria and the other girl you saw is Alexa, Iseria's subordinator."

"So, the kid I saw was King Aither. No wonder why I felt something special from him," Al touched his chin when he remembered the young king. Considering he had to take charge of the kingdom at such a young age, Al wondered if he could burden the responsibility. However, he realized that if Aither had to take the throne at that age, there must be something bad happened. He looked at Yuna and asked, "How did King Aither take the throne?"

"Queen Diene, who was his mother, was assassinated in the Archdemon war," Yuna answered sadly.

"Oh…" Al knew he asked a question that he should not ask.

"Thankfully, despite the hardship and other dissatisfaction from some noble families, with the help of Charles and Queen Diene's loyalists, King Aither is working and studying hard to become a good king. However, sometimes I feel that he doesn't want to be a king. I heard that there was a time he escaped and nearly was assassinated. Fortunately, nothing bad happened."

"It must be tough for him to take such a high responsibility at that age. I can't blame him, though," Al commented.

When they were chatting, Tamarinne stepped out of the kitchen's door and waved her hand towards them. "Yuna! Al! Come over here!" she shouted.

As they came into the kitchen, they could smell the aroma from a cook which Tamarinne was doing something. As they looked to the pot, Yuna and Al saw pieces of corn mixed up with some other ingredients.

Looking curiously, Al saw chicken pieces in the pot, he asked, "What is this? Seems like corns with chicken." As he said, he could not hold the slaver inside his mouth, the same with Yuna.

"Correct," Tamarinne smiled while she was stirring the pot. "It's called chicken and corn soup. Here, let's try," Tamarinne gave them small dishes containing a small amount of soup.

Tasting the soup, Yuna shouted happily, "Wow, it's really good."

"Agree," Al was surprised too.

"I'm preparing for the show this afternoon. Glad that it is well enough," Tamarinne said.

"Ah, you mean the "Cooking with idols"," Al commented as he knew what the show was. "The last week was grilled pork belly. And this week is this soup."

Seeing that he was out of his fear and interested in the soup, Tamarinne offered, "Would you like to help me?"

"What can I do?" Al wondered.

"The cooking will be my part. You just have to make sure I have enough ingredients. This pot here will be shown as the complete product," Tamarinne explained.

"Ah right, after that you will instruct the other how to cook," Al remembered.

Later, Yuna and Tamarinne had something to do and got out of the kitchen, living Al behind to prepare the ingredient. The longer he stayed here, the more attraction from the soup pot. It still had a lot of soup inside so Al thought it would not be a problem if he tasted a few more.

"Oh crap…"

When he came to his senses, Al looked inside the pot and it was empty. He knew he screwed up. Obviously, he did not know how to cook it and as Tamarinne was coming back, he had to make up for it. Confusing, he poured water to the pot and pretended nothing happened as Tamarinne came in and brought the pot outside.


	19. Chapter 19

Outside the kitchen was a big yard and at this moment, many tables were lined up. Every line had five tables and there were four columns. Each table had a cook, an oven, a pot, a knife, and other kitchen tools. In front of the first line, another table but bigger was placed. Participants started coming to their tables. Each table had two persons. At one table, the young king Aither and Alexa formed a group. Aither was interested in the "Cooking with Idols" showed and he had never missed once. Meanwhile, Charles and Iseria observed them nearby. Standing next to them was Yuna, Hazel, and Karin.

Changing to her idol form, Tamarinne put on an apron and stood behind her cook. "Good afternoon, everyone!" the young idol spoke on the microphone attached to her ear. Behind her was the young Suin who was acting like nothing happened. But the longer he was with her, the more stressful he was. As Tamarinne put the pot on the cook, she said. "Today, we will cook a very tasty and sweet soup, it's called…"

At the moment she opened the pot, Tamarinne was completely silent. The pot had nothing but water. Nobody understood why she stopped talking and kept starring inside the pot. When she turned to her right, she saw Al was standing and preparing the ingredients. Deep inside, Al understood why Tamarinne did not say anything but staring at him. He quickly ran but Tamarinne was faster. She picked up the pot and threw it to his head and knocked him down instantly.

"Wow, what a precise throwing!" Yuna spoke on and clapped her hands rapidly. Charles, Iseria, Karin, and Hazel did the same as her.

"I told you to watch the pot, not to eat them all!" Tamarinne mercilessly grabbed his shirt and shook him non-stop.

"Never thought she will be like that before…" Hazel commented when she looked at them.

"Actually, look around you…" Yuna said and the others looked at the participants and saw them was laughing. "Even though Al ate all the soup, she isn't angry at all and takes advantage of his fault to make everyone smile."

Pulling him back to her tables, Tamarinne muffled, "You're going to pay for that. Now you will prepare ingredients for not only me but for everyone if they do it wrong."

"Are you sure she's not acting?" Iseria turned to Yuna when Tamarinne commanded Al ran from places to places.

"100% sure!" the young president smiled.

Looking at Al, Karin wondered, "His action was totally irresponsible but why does he not escape like other wrongdoers?"

"If he was that type, he would have run away already. Instead, he stayed and took his responsibility," Hazel answered.

Afterward, although Al was totally under Tamarinne's command and she kept shouting at him, he did not bother at all and willed to help her at anything. Thankfully, the show went on very well and everyone was having a joyful day. On the other hand, when Charles tasted Aither's dish, he could not hide his tear and cried happily. Al lost his words when he saw that expression of a man who just scared him recently. He pointed his finger towards while looking at Yuna with his wide-open eyes. The young president just placed her finger on her lips and said, "Keep quiet and don't ask anything."

The next day, Al came to Carrot's lab. After a few hours, the young researcher kept working while Al was doing homework. At some point, Carrot looked at him and saw he was scratching his neck. At first, she thought it was normal but later, he scratched all over his body. Feeling strange, Carrot came to him and insisted on checking his body. When Al took off his coat and revealed his neck, Carrot was stunned. His neck was full pink. She looked at his arms and saw some white dots appeared on his skin and his head.

"Seems like allergy," Carrot commented when she checked his whole body.

"Uhm… what?" Al wondered.

"It is a condition that makes a person become sick or has skin and breathing problems. It's not dangerous but we can't underestimate them," Carrot explained to Al while he kept scratching. "Mostly it is food or pollen, or maybe the weather," she added.

Al tried to recall all the possibilities Carrot mentioned but he did not think of anything that could create his allergy, he said. "I think it can be another reason."

"How long have you been like this?" Carrot asked.

"A few days," he answered.

"Let's see…" Carrot checked his body again and asked. "How many times you take a bath in a day?"

"One… a week?"

"For the Goddess…" Carrot lost her words when she heard the answer. "Return to your room, and wash your body, now! And don't forget to use shower cream and shampoo!" she muffled.

As Carrot was angry, Al did not make any excuse and returned to his room but even after cleansing his body, Al still felt itchy and it kept going on for a week. Carrot felt really strange and she wanted to test his blood sample.

"Will he be okay?" Tamarinned worried.

"I will need a few days to examine," Carrot said after drawing his blood before she said to him. "Also, it doesn't mean you can stay stinky."

"Come on, boys don't stay as clean as us," Yuna smiled.

"Don't try to make excuse for him," Carrot commented.

"Is it possible that the shampoo and creams create his allergy?" Tamarinne asked.

Considering, Carrot answered, "Possibly."

"Yuna, can we go back to our world? I think there are a few soft and gentles products for Al," Tamarinne turned to her childhood friend and suggested.

"Wait, you can?" Al looked surprised.

"Of course, but we can't stay that for too long," Yuna responded and she started thinking. After a few minutes, she said, "I think it's safe to go, but we have to be quick."

"If that's troubling you enough, then don't do it," Al suggested but Tamarinne was so worried about him and kept insisting until he accepted her good intention. But it seemed Yuna had something to do as well. For the return, Al would do the escort and protector.

Leaving Carrot's lab, the trio when to a room and Al was surprised to see what was inside it. The room contained a big machine that was designed as a giant cylinder. It had three layers and was placed on and covered by three circles: two for both sides and one in the center.

When Yuna started the machine, the cylinder in the middle started rolling, the second and third cylinders rolled one by one afterward. When the machine was rolling fast, it shot a red beam on the air and from it, a crack appeared and opened a portal gate.

Seeing Al did not understand what happened, Yuna explained, "What you're seeing here is a dimensional crack. You already know that we came from the other world, right?" She continued when Al nodded, "Thanks to this crack, I can travel back to my world but it won't open for long. So Tamarinne, whatever you do, do it fast."

"I understand," Tamarinne nodded.

When the trio stepped out of the crack, they saw a place which was a city before, but at this moment, it only had remnants. Releasing a machine ball on the air, Yuna looked at her phone while Tamarinne and Al went away.

As they walking, Al looked at the remnants and saw some similar buildings which had the same design back in Reingar but more modernized. He saw some strange objects like cars and motorcycles on the road and he could not know what they were. He wanted to ask Tamarinne but knowing they did not have much time, he had to move on.

When Tamarinne came to a destroyed store, they went in and Tamarinne started searching. Meanwhile, Al did not know what to do but watching for anything unusual. Suddenly, he saw a newspaper on the ground. He thought it was book and picked it up. It was written in Korean so he could not understand what was on it. He saw many photos. It could be a group of girls and boys or a couple. Then he saw some woman and man bowed down their head as they were apologizing for something.

"I'm done!" Tamarinne called over him and Al hid the newspaper. She came to him while holding two bottles. "I hope it will help to treat you," she smiled and they returned to Yuna. Suddenly, Al stopped and looked at the air. Tamarinne asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure…" Al kept looking but he did not see anything. He then said, "...I feel like we are being watched."

Al's hunch was not wrong. From the high sky, an unmanned aerial vehicle drone was flying. It was sending signals and images to a large room which was equipped with many computers and screens. It also had a big screen attached to a wall and some people were looking at Tamarinne and Al on the ground. Feeling worried, they started returning to Yuna.

"Confirm two targets. Three in total. What should we do, sir?" a woman in military uniform reported to a man standing next to her.

When he looked at Tamarinne and Al, it was clear that he was interested in the young Suin. He then said, "Send a team and capture three of them. Keep them alive if possible. But if they run or resist, kill on sight."

"Yes, sir! Sending a quick response team. ETA: 5 minutes!"

Back to Yuna, she was searching and used her mini drone for a better look at the city which was where she lived before being moved to Orbis and became an Heir. So many things happened and she still had very little answers. Seeing the time had come and her friends had come, Yuna decided to investigate for another day.

Suddenly, when the trio was uniting, a group of heavy-armed soldiers surrounded them. One of them shouted, "Freeze! Stay where you are!"

Seeing they were not coming here with good intentions, Yuna and Al nodded to each other. When Yuna's mini drone created barriers to protect them, they started running towards the crack. Eventually, the barriers had their limits sustaining the heavy firepower from the soldiers. Fortunately, they could reach the crack and jumped through it and came back to Orbis.

Catching a breath, Tamarinne was shocked of what just happened, she said, "Who are they? And why did they shoot us?"

"I don't know who they are but one thing for sure…" Yuna breathed tiredly before she answered, "...they didn't care if we were alive or not."

Standing up, Al added, "Agree. I don't think they were welcoming us either."

Suddenly, Yuna and Tamarinne saw Al was holding his shoulder and they saw blood on his hand. He was shot and the bullet was still inside his shoulder. They quickly rushed to Carrot.

"Really…" Carrot could not say anything and sighed while checking his wound, "...I just leave you for 30 minutes and now you returned with a bullet inside your body."

"Sorry," Al apologized but it seemed Carrot just wanted to tease him.

While Carrot was checking his wound, Yuna and Tamarinne told her what happened. However, they decided to hold the conversation after the bullet was removed from Al's shoulder. They held s short surgery operation and it was just a piece of cake for the team. Later, Yuna, Tamarinne, and Carrot came to Al's sick-bed.

When Yuna retold what happened, Carrot commented, "It seems Yuna's world is more dangerous than I thought."

"Still, there was something strange…" Al placed his finger on his chin. "Yuna, do you think you and Tamarinne are the only ones from that world stranded here?"

"At first, I thought so," Yuna answered. "However, when I first came here, the Reingar, or should I say, the whole Ezera as well, already had a lot of structures, buildings, machines and vehicles similar to my world. I thought Orbis is just another parallel world but has magic. And when I came to Perland and Aakhen, I took back that conclusion."

"So… you mean…" Tamarinne doubted.

"That means before you and Yuna, there were many people that came from your world to Orbis and helped to develop Ezera and Reingar," Al gave a conclusion as he understood Yuna's suspicious. He continued, "Now I remembered. In a short time, Perland became the strongest city and had the most fearsome army among Cidonia. And it came from guns. Before that, we fought with swords and magic but when guns appeared, everything changed," Al finally understood his father's statement when he said he saw the new face of war.

There were many things they wanted to discuss but Yuna decided to end the conversation as she did not want to worry any of them. Rather than that, she focused on what Al had been studying and how he felt when he stayed at Reingar. Al was excitedly telling them what he had learned but Carrot was the one enjoyed the most. She kept teasing him how bad he was with math. She said it took him a whole minute just to calculate simple math: one thousand divided eight. As she said, Al was very embarrassed by seeing how they were having fun, he did not mind at all.


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, due to Al's wounded arm, he was unable to clean himself. Carrot and Tamarinne willed to help him, or more like, they forced him to accept their help. When they started washing his hair, both Carrot and Al looked at the shampoo bottle. They could not read the Korean words on it but there was an image of a cute and small dog and cat. With Tamarinne's assurance, they could only hope for the best.

The day after, Al's condition was getting worse, not only that, his hair started losing. Carrot and Al could not understand what caused this. Meanwhile, the young researcher had not got the test result from his blood. As for Tamarinne, she struggled and wondered if she took the wrong products for Al.

Later, Yuna came in and she quickly understood the situation. And when she looked at the shampoo and creams Tamarinne brought back, she was shocked, "H-Hold on, Tamarinne, they are products used for dogs and cats only."

The moment the truth had been spoken, an awkward silence carried on as the four of them kept looking at each other.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tamarinne kept apologizing for Al.

Waving his hand, he comforted her, "You said it for dozens of times. It's okay. Thank you for your help."

"Really, how could you think it would work?" Yuna looked at Tamarinne.

"Well… Al is a Suin, so I thought he would be similar to those we saw before. You know…" Tamarinne struggled and squeezed her fingers on her dress, "… most of them look like dogs and cats but walk on two legs."

"Yeah… I can see why you think that…" Al commented.

"Sit! Still!" Carrot placed one hand on Al's shoulder while lathering some liquid on his hair.

Reading the report of his blood test, Yuna turned to Carrot, "So, what does he have?"

"Some helminths and ear lice," Carrot touched Al's ears and answered. "Thankfully they are not dangerous and no parasite detected. Still, he will need to be on a diet and stay clean," she stared as Al.

"I get that," Al pretended to be annoying.

"That reminds me. Recently he did eat a lot of raw fish," Tamarinne commented.

"It's just so good and tasty, those sushi..." Al started dreaming again.

"Doesn't mean you can eat so many of them. But I can understand why you love them," Yuna smiled while looking at his ears and tail waving on the air.

Thinking of something, Al turned to Carrot, "After all, do you think it's related to my immune system?"

"What makes you think so?" Carrot smiled while cleaning her hands.

"You taught me that the immune system is a thing that protects us from illness and disease. Later, you said that the immune system can overreact with allergies, resulting in my condition. Many things can cause allergies: food, weather, pollen, and vice versa," Al said.

"That's right, you remember well," Carrot clapped her hands while Yuna and Tamarinne smiled at him.

"When it comes to weather, I think it could be the cause. Comparing to the dry and hot in Constella, Reingar has a better temperate climate," Al said.

"What about the food?" Tamarinne wondered.

"For normal to poor citizens, they always eat beans, bone broth and dried brown bread. The nutritious food is for the noble families, high priests and high priestess, and the Elders. Most of them are wasted and thrown away," Al told. Retelling them what was in Reingar reminded him of some bittersweet memories. "But not only in Constella, but other cities as well. The only city I know that have similar diets like Reingar is Perland but Aakhen is changing as well," he continued.

"Sounds like the wealth gap in Constella is pretty big," Yuna commented and Al nodded afterward.

"What did your parents do?" Carrot asked.

"My father was a weaponry instructor, and my mother was a psychologist," Al answered.

Hearing what he said, the three girls reacted the same expression, "Ah, that explains."

"Explains what?" Al looked at their strange reaction but he had no answer from none of them. "Different than my father, my mother often helped people who were in need of psyche. She always listened to them and gave advice if she could. But most people in Reingar didn't like her jobs because they thought she was trying to manipulate them," he continued.

"That sounds… awful," Yuna commented.

"But she didn't care much and kept doing her job," Al felt very proud of his mother. "I learned a lot from my mother. She taught me how to read people's expressions and why they act like so. She also said that I should never estimate a person just from the first look and always listen to what they have been through," he continued.

The next day, when Al just stepped out of his bed and put on his Reingar uniform, he realized something inside his coat. He took it out and it was the newspaper he picked up from Yuna's world. Curiously, he went to the library.

The Reingar library was considered as one of the most important places in Ritania. It contained a large and various books, meaning it had tons of knowledge from many subjects. Located on the west location of Reingar university, due to the important role, the library was under the protection of the Ezera army. Built-in Gothic style, the library had two main halls, four reading places, one canteen, and a dining room. Guards were posted to prevent any wrongdoings.

When he stepped into the library, he had to show his ID card, and not just him but everyone. After being authorized, he entered the main hall. The main hall was designed to stock numerous bookshelves and they were able to contain a large number of books and documents, whether how much old they were.

Al stepped close to a white box, which was known as a translating machine. He opened it and put the newspaper inside. A few seconds later, it released a copy of that newspaper that was translated. After that, he went to a reading place, sat down on a chair and started reading. The first line of the newspaper was written, "The price of being a Korean idol."

The first page of the newspaper contained a picture of a female idol, who had to apologize publicly after being caught of having a date with her boyfriend. The first paragraph stated it was not a surprise or even the first case that an idol was boycotted by fans for dating. Many idols before her made the same mistake and had to pay the price, which their careers were ruined.

"What is a Kpop idol?" the second paragraph questioned. It stated that the idol had to train and practice strictly with blood and tears through singing, dancing, and acting. Many of them could not sustain the training and gave up their dream. For those who passed, they started making contracts, or "slave contracts" and had to follow what their management company wanted them to do. If the company thought an idol was not "good enough" for their "standards", they would be fire and it would be hard for them to continue their career. Especially, some idols wanted to maintain their jobs, they usually burdened the sexual harassment from their bosses and even became a high-class prostitute.

Not only that, but the idols also had to bear the extreme diets to keep their "perfect form". As if it was not enough, they had to keep working tirelessly, resulting in some of them collapsed right on the stage. Even though, nothing would change or make a difference. They could even die but it was just another day of the job.

The next paragraph asked another question, "Why Kpop idols can't date?" As the question stated, dating was seen as a taboo that no idols should make. An idol was always supposed to be single to keep the "perfect picture" of youth and innocence. However, it did not hide a cruel fact that idols were seen as a product consumed by fans. And when an idol dated or chose their personal life over their career, fans felt betrayed and started boycotting that idol. From that point, it could be said that the idol's career was completely ruined. Crueler, it was not easy when an idol wanted to return considering how many idols were debuted in a year, and the fans had many replacement choices. It was why even though so many articles and news about how much an idol suffered, they were soon be forgotten.

There were still more and as Al kept reading, the more he admired Somi Choi, known as Tamarinne. She did choose a hard choice and he could not understand why she did that. But when he thought carefully, she did bring joy and happiness for many people, including him. Al would not be shy to admit that he was a fan of her. But he was more than a fan. He was a friend that Tamarinne trusted. It was why he did not want to do anything that could affect her career.

Located on the west of Reingar island was Ezera, the capital of the royal family, where Aither was taking the throne. At an opened place in the north of Ezera, Charles was observing the Ezera soldiers and sorcerers who were training very hard. When he was standing and looking down, the female elf, Iseria, came close to him.

"Iseria report!" she said.

"Please do," the Knight Commander calmly responded.

"As you command, I already sent spies to investigate the young Suin named Al Dawkins. It appears that he was from Aakhen, had a little fight with Lieutenant Karin and became friends with President Yuna and The Heir of the Covenant," Iseria reported, "Additionally, there is something special from that city."

"Oh? Continue, please?" Charles stroked his beard.

"Over 4 months ago, there was a battle with an ancient entity, known as Gula, the Gluttony Beast. According to the documents, it will keep eating and absorbing everything until it reaches its limit and destroys itself."

"Strange, I have never heard of this beast before," Charles doubted.

"I thought you would say so. The documents about Gula are written recently and have no other older copies. As far as the investigation goes, the young Suin was killed by Gula..." Iseria showed her struggling.

"You're saying a dead man is walking among the livings?" Charles doubted.

"I really can't answer the question. When I received the report, I was surprised as well. But there is one thing..." Iseria stopped.

"Please, go on," Charles comforted her.

Catching a breath, the female elf continued, "When I ask The Heir of the Covenant about that Suin, he said that Al Dawkins is a trustworthy friend. When I asked for more, Ras said that Al did have something in his mind that he didn't want to share with anyone. However, Ras also said that Suin is a guardian, same as Arkasus, Zeaon, and Kromcruz, and Karzan. More importantly, Ras insisted that he is on our side."

"Hm…" Charles put his finger on his chin and stated, "I thought there will be more guardians but I didn't feel that from that young man. But if The Heir of the Covenant said so, then it could explain why he is still alive after that fierce battle." Charles paused, he looked at the army and something came in his mind, "Perhaps he is like other guardians. When he gets lethal wounds, he will stay dormant until fully recover."

"One other thing, when you tested him, he was just recovered from a serious wound created by Katis and his machines," Iseria added.

"Oh, so that was why his movement was slow. Very interesting..." Charles did not hide his excitement.

"That's all I have to report to you. Do you think we will need to investigate more?" Iseria asked.

"Please, keep doing so. There are many things I want to know about that young man," Charles nodded. "If what Ras said was true, then Al Dawkins will get the support from Ezera as long as he stays at Reingar. However…" suddenly, Charles stopped and looked at Iseria.

"If there is anything you want me to do, I will take it as you will," the young elf showed her determination.

"You don't need to be that serious, I'm just asking you for a few things," Charles stopped and thought for a while before he continued, "I want you to come and stay as Reingar, and keep your eyes on that young man. If he needs something, provide it. But if he shows any sign of threat…"

Iseria did not wait for him to finish to get what he wanted her to do. She responded, "I understand, sir."


	21. Chapter 21

In the morning, Al had a chance to watch Tamarinne's practicing. After reading the newspaper, Al had some doubts yet admirations towards the idol. The way she put all her efforts and spirits into her dances and songs, it was very beautiful than anything Al ever saw. However, he knew there was a line he should not step further and he did not intend to do so.

After the practicing, Tamarinne and Al had a walk together. They were chatting as close friends. When they were walking near the sword training field, they saw the female elf, who was Charles's subordinate, was training with other students. Nearby, there was another young girl who was watching her very carefully with her respectful eyes. But from those eyes, Al could feel something more.

Back to the training, Iseria showed the students that even it was a training, she did not show any mercy. What made Al surprised were her six wooden swords flying around, which she used them as her shields and swords and she controlled them through her dance. It was beautiful, yet deadly at the same time. Her swords kept attacking the students while they were struggling to defend themselves and get close to the female elf.

In the end, all students were lying down on the ground exhaustedly. While Al and Tamarinne came closer, the young Suin recalled Iseria's dance and he could feel something different comparing to Tamarinne's. If Tamarinne's dances gave away joyfulness, the ones from Iseria gave him the feelings of sadness and even pain. When she was "dancing", Al could see the struggling from her eyes. On another thing, when her subordinate, named Alexa, gave a handkerchief, the female elf seemed to have a dilemma with Alexa's action.

When Iseria saw Al, she remembered who he was and she still had not figured out what Charles saw from him that interested the Knight Commander of Ezera. She did try to investigate from him and she had no idea why a dead man was walking. She intended to find more about him to see if he was a threat or not.

As for Al, he did not know anything about Iseria's suspicious and only admired her dance. Although he felt something off from her dance, he thought that the elves often lived for hundreds, maybe thousands of years so they could have been through many things. But the way she looked at Al troubled him.

"Good morning, Lady Iseria," Tamarinne did not notice anything and greeted the female elf.

"Good morning, Miss Tamarinne," Iseria greeted back, "And Mr. Al."

The way she called him made Al feel really uncomfortable, he said, "Uhm… I really appreciate if you don't be so formal to me…"

"Very well," Iseria responded while retrieving her wooden swords. "May I ask why you come here? I thought you only practice with guns," she questioned.

"Actually, I would rather practice any kind of weapons instead of focusing only one," Al answered politely, "Can I ask that do you often come here to train the others?"

"Yes. Even the Archdemon war ended, we always need to be prepared for anything," Iseria answered. She wanted to test the young Suin if he was worthy of Charles's compliment. She continued, "Since you are here, can I have a little test on you?"

At first, Al was not sure if he should answer her. Seeing her ability, Al wondered if he could pass her test but there was something he wanted to ask Iseria. Struggling, he looked at Tamarinne and saw her nodding. Tamarinne encouraged him and finally, Al had the brave to take the test. He thought if he could pass, then he could ask Iseria for his own.

Stepping back to the place where she was the center of the attack, Iseria controlled her wooden swords floating on the air. She stated, "The rule is simple. You will start at 30 steps away from me. You can attack me in any direction. You will win if you get closer to me than 2 steps away."

Wielding a wooden sword, Al prepared to attack. When he charged, Iseria moved her arms and sent one sword to greet him. Al struck it off just to see two other ones coming right to his face. When he dodged, the other three came at him at the same time. Iseria combined all her swords and attacked at Al.

For the students who were looking at the test, they were surprised that when they were struggling with one sword only, Al had to hold against six swords and he had not beaten yet. Nevertheless, they all thought that sooner or later, Al would fall down. Meanwhile, Tamarinne was hoping that Al would pass the test, however, when she took a look at Alexa, the young girl who was Iseria's subordinate, she could clearly see the admiration from her eyes. Alexa was like she was looking at something beautiful and she did not want to keep her eyes off it.

The test had been lasting for five minutes and yet, Al was still struggling. However, little did they notice, Al was getting closer to Iseria while defending himself. Apparently, Iseria was the first one noticing it. She saw that Al always moved and did not stop, and he always spent a short time looking around him so that no swords could attack him from behind. By keeping her swords in his sight, Iseria slowly admitted that Al was worthy but it did not mean she would let him pass easily.

In the end, everyone noticed the distance between Al and Iseria was shorten. But in a moment, Iseria drew back her swords and sent them up high. It was like she was giving up but for Al, he was being cautious. He did not know if he could use this chance to charge at her. Thinking no more, he rushed in and from the above, Iseria formed a green magic seal and from the center of it, a magic sword appeared and dropped to Al's head, which knocked him down instantly. It was so fast that Al could not do anything.

When Al woke up, he saw Tamarinne was holding an ice bag on the back of his head. He tried to get up but it hurt so much that he could only lay down.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't think I would lose control of myself for a second," Iseria apologized to Al. Recalling, at the moment when Al nearly got her, Iseria used her ultimate skill instinctually. Fortunately, the magic seal was formed from wooden swords so it did not create real damage. However, it still hurt a lot for Al and broke all the swords she used.

"It's okay… Ouch!" Al tried to move again when he held the ice bag.

Thinking for a while, Iseria thought it could be a chance to know more about Al but she had to be careful to make it not look like an interrogation. She started, "But your movements are really good. Can I ask where you trained?"

"I trained with my father back in Constella," Al answered and he did not suspect anything. He continued, "then around four years ago, I came to Perland and trained there."

"Your father must be a great warrior. I see him taught you so well," Iseria smiled, "If there is a chance, I would like to meet him."

When Iseria said that, Tamarinne startled and looked at Al's sad eyes. She then answered for him, "Al's parents passed away last year."

"Oh…" Iseria realized she asked things she should not. She then said, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Al smiled.

"But I think they are very proud of you," Iseria shared her smile with him as well.

"I hope so," Al responded.

"That reminds me. Perland has a different weaponry system comparing to other cities in Cidonia. Is it where you trained with guns?" Iseria asked next.

"You can say that," Al nodded. He continued, "I was training with many types of weapons, but guns are… something… special."

"I can see what you mean. When guns were first used in Ritania, people started thinking it would change the world. But thankfully, it didn't," Iseria added.

"It means there are many excellent commanders who can combine both guns and others very well. I'm not sure if it is a good thing but Perland seems to be good at guns than any other weapons or magic," Al recalled.

"Can I ask how and why you came here?" Iseria asked.

"I just luckily became friend with Tamarinne and Yuna," he asked and looked at Tamarinne, "Then I was curious about the stuff the Ritanian brought to Aakhen, so I ask Yuna if I could come to Reingar and study."

"How is it going?" Iseria smiled.

"Over expected," Al responded in joy.

"I'm glad you enjoy being here," Iseria started seeing the young Suin as a friendly person when she looked at the way Tamarinne and Al talking with each other. She then asked, "Once again, I'm really sorry for hitting you."

"Then once again, please don't mind it," Al said and they all laughed. But then he was a bit embarrassed when he looked at Iseria. He said, "You know, the way you move whole controlling those swords were really amazing."

"Thank you for your compliment," Iseria smiled.

"If possible, can you… uhm…" Al stuttered, "… can you teach me… how to control them like you?"

Iseria was surprised at his question. Her ability was not something a person could learn easily. She stated, "I'm not sure if I can teach you. It will take more than just magic to do so."

"Even with guns?" Al asked and it seemed his question was not cleared. He then fixed it, "If possible, I want to make swords fly as you do, but instead of using swords, I want to use guns."

"Hm…" Iseria stopped and thought for a few minutes. And when Al thought he should give up, Iseria responded, "Alright, I'll see what I can to teach you."

"Thank you," Al nodded.

"Just consider it as my apology," Iseria smiled and the three of them spent their time for a while.


	22. Chapter 22

The next day, Iseria and Al came to an empty place located near the sword training field. Since it was a private training, Iseria did not want anyone to see them. In addition, if they were alone, she might be able to investigate more from him. As for Al, he did not suspect anything.

After Al had placed several wooden swords on the ground, Iseria started, "Let's start with some theories first. What do you know about mana?"

Jogging his memory, Al responded, "It is the… uhm…" he stuttered. Al was not good at remembering words, he often learned how to use his ability instead. Seeing Iseria's serious eyes, he tried his best to answer, "It is… a type of energy that flows inside our bodies. They are seen as a life force energy. By controlling them, we will be able to create magic. Depend on each person, they will have different potential energy."

"Close, but it would be enough," Iseria smiled satisfyingly. "So, in order to chant or cast magic, we have to control the mana. However, do you know that we can transfer that energy into other things?"

"Like… casting magic on a sword?" Al struggled.

"It is casting, not transferring. Say it is a type of sharing our mana to them," Iseria explained.

The more she said, the more question Al had, "How is it possible?"

"It's possible if you train hard enough," Iseria said and pointed her hand to a wooden sword. It floated on the air and she let it fly around for a few seconds. "See? This is how you transfer your mana to a weapon. You have to focus, let your mana flow out and transfer it to the thing you want. But remember, the hardest part is you have to control the amount of mana you let out, or your mana will be wasted unnecessarily," she continued.

As Iseria's instruction, Al tried to follow as she taught. However, despite that, he was unable to control his mana and he exhausted himself. Iseria was surprised when she felt the amount of mana he let out. Al's first lesson was to transfer small mana to a wooden sword. He tried again and again but he could not even let it float a little. At the end of the day, he lied on the grasses and breathed heavily.

"It would be enough for today," Iseria stopped the training. She was very pleased about how hard Al trained. Before they parted away, she did not forget to encourage him, "Don't worry. It was hard for me on the first day. As long as you don't give up easily, I believe you will be succeeded one day."

Two weeks later, Al had no improvement but Iseria had to admire how hard and serious effort he put into the training. Slowly, she gained sympathy towards the young Suin. Instead of suspicion, she had trust and built a friendship with him. Whenever they took a break, they often shared their stories about what they had been through. Iseria felt sorry for Al's parents and she really admired their sacrifice for their adopted son and the Suin village. As for Al, he felt respect for Iseria after losing so many friends and loved ones, and her effort to keep peace of all over Ritania.

After one month of training, Al finally was able to float one sword but it was not good enough. He could only let it float for a few seconds before the sword fell on the ground. Despite his pessimistic, Iseria kept encourage him and it was why he could not give up easily. After another hard training day, Iseria suggested they should take a walk outside the Reingar university.

"Wow…"

Although he had been here for half a year, it was the first time Al had a view of Reingar city. The buildings and the houses were built with the combinations of medieval, gothic and modern styles. There were a lot of people, more than any city he had visited. There were some stores that sold some products as he saw back in Aakhen but they were even more varied in Reingar. He kept running around from places to places and Iseria had a hard time following him. At that moment, she realized Yuna was right about that curious cat.

"Come on, I'll show you something."

When Al started feeling hungry, Iseria suggested. After a short walk, they approached to a noodle stall. The stall owner was a male elf who had his wife and children to support him. Seeing the familiar face, the elf greeted, "Oh! It's been a while."

"I see you are still doing good," Iseria said back. Despite the small stall and few tables and chairs placed nearby, there were many people who were attracted to this stall.

"And who is this young man?" the male elf saw Al and asked.

"A friend of mine," Iseria answered and they found a place afterward.

After settling, Al and Iseria were given a menu that had photos and each one had a name nearby. For Al, it was the first time he saw a menu that had photos of each name of foods. When he saw a photo of a bowl of fish and noodles, he immediately picked it and Iseria had no surprise at all.

"So good," Al was very enjoying the food.

"I'm glad you like it," Iseria said while holding her bowl. She asked, "Is this your first time eating noodles?"

"Not really, Reingar's canteen has them as well, but it isn't as good as this place," he explained. He looked at Iseria's bowl and asked, "What are you eating?"

"It's an herb and vegetable noodle," Iseria answered and she could not hold her smile when she looked at his curious eyes. She then said, "Do you want to take a bite?"

Realizing he was being impolite, Al leaned back, "Uh… no… thanks." But Iseria offered him and he tried it after all. "It's… kind of cold, but really cool and tasty."

Later, Al tried three different types of noodles and it made him full. But he lost his words when he looked at Iseria. It was like a dozen empty bowls placed next to her and she was still eating. Iseria felt weird but fun with his look.

The next day, when Iseria was teaching Al, from a high floor of building in Reingar university, Iseria's subordinate, named Alexa, was looking down on them. Seeing how they were getting closer, Alexa felt very sad and jealous towards the young Suin. She put her hand on the glass window and mumbled, "I wish… I can be closed with you… like him."

"Are you okay, Lady Alexa?" Tamarinne asked worryingly when she was passing by.

Alexa startled and tried to hold herself together, "Uh… no… Thank you." After that, Alexa looked down again and Tamarinne was curious about what she was looking for. Suddenly, Alexa questioned, "Can I ask you something, Miss Tamarinne?"

"Please, go on," the young singer nodded.

"What will you do…" Alexa paused. She was not sure what she was thinking.

Seeing the young girl kept silent, Tamarinne wondered what was happening. Then she remembered something. Whenever Alexa and Iseria were together, she always looked at the female elf with her admirable eyes and she always cared to her.

Trying to hold her sadness, Alexa determined to finish her question, whether she had the answer or not, "Do you think… they will be a couple?"

"You mean… Al and Lady Iseria?" Tamarinne asked for confirmation and Alexa did not react at all. She then smiled and said, "Al has someone in his heart. It is because of her that he decided to leave his home and stay away from her."

Hearing that, Alexa struggled, "But… why?"

"Because… that person only sees him as a friend," Tamarinne felt a bit sorry for Al because Yuna did tell her what happened. "No matter what and how he tries, he cannot see her as a friend. And it makes him scare that one day, he will let his selfishness control him and he will hurt her so he decided to run away."

I see…" Alexa started feeling something familiar between him and her. They both had someone they had feelings for but they could not stay by their side. Alexa was not sure if she could do what he did. She still tried to get close to Iseria and hoped for one day, Iseria would answer her. But she knew that that day would never happen because she clearly knew why. Surprisingly, she said, "I wish… I was born as a man rather than a woman. Maybe it would be easier."

When Tamarinne heard that, she quickly understood and they did not say anything.

Trying to change the subject, Alexa said, "Sorry, please just forget what I said."

"I hope one day you will find happiness," Tamarinne smiled.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Alexa asked and Tamarinne nodded, "What about you and him?"

"Even if we want, it will never be going to happen," Tamarinne squeezed her dress secretly while keeping her smile.

"May I ask why?" Alexa struggled.

"Let's say there is a wall between us. An idol is never supposed to be in love with anyone. It is something prohibited in my world." Tamarinne answered.

The day when Al was reading the newspaper, Tamarinne was inside the library as well. When she saw him, she wanted to greet him and seeing he was focusing on reading a newspaper, she did not want to bother him. But she was curious about what he was reading and stealthily sneaked to him. Al was so focusing on the newspaper that he did not realize Tamarinne was behind him. And it was when Tamarinne remembered the wall between them.

Alexa had not understood what Tamarinne just said but she could feel the sadness in her eyes. She then asked, "Do you feel regret?"

"If I had felt regret, then I wouldn't have chosen to be an idol as the beginning. And Al will be very sad if I give up, too. All I can do is to keep moving forward," Tamarinne excused but deep inside, she respected Al's love for Elena and she did not want to interfere in. After that, they looked down at Iseria and Al before they left. Fortunately, Tamarinne and Alexa started building their friendship as well.


	23. Chapter 23

In the afternoon, Al was lying down on the soft grass after a hard day training. Despite his effort, he felt like he did not make any improvement at all even though Iseria said he did.

Sitting next to him, Iseria wanted to know more about him but this time, she did not see him as a suspicious man, but as a friend. She asked, "So, Al, how was your life back in Constella?"

"Let's say…", remembering his home, Al closed his eyes and he could see the scene of his family. He said, "It's boring than Reingar. Most of the time people active in daylight. When night falls, everybody stays at their home. There aren't many festivals and activities as Reingar. The only festivals we have are season ones, such as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter festival. But they are simple. Just know that in those days, we eat better than normal a little. I trained with my father at day and studied with my mother at night."

"Yeah, sounds boring," Iseria agreed.

"What about you?" Al turned to her, "There is something I am curious about the Elves. People say that they live on the trees, is that true?"

"No, not really," Iseria smiled, "An Elf village often has around 40 to 50 people, and we choose a forest to settle. It is true that we are attached to the forest but living on the trees is not quite right. Of course, many elves build their houses on them. It is preferred housing style, though."

After a few chats, Al had something in his mind that he wanted to ask Iseria but he was worried if it bothered her too much. Nevertheless, if he could help her then it was a good thing. He then asked, "Can I ask you a thing?"

"Yes?" Iseria wondered.

"I see you and… that girl who follows you…"

"You mean Lady Alexa?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Al got up and nodded. He continued, "Every time I see her with you, you feel trouble. Is everything good?"

"Oh…" Iseria was surprised by how sensitive and observant he was. She then remembered what Yuna told her about Al's ability. She did not believe it until this moment. At first, she wanted to drive out the subject but seeing his worrying looks and how trustworthy he was, Iseria did not feel afraid anymore. Taking a deep breath, Iseria held her hands and answered, "I really can't say everything is okay. But… you know…" she struggled, "… every time I am around with her, I feel like she is trying to get my attention to notice only her. Although I know she doesn't mean bad, it makes me scare and uncomfortable."

Trying to figure out what happened, Al asked, "Is it because she bothers your personal space too much?"

"I'm not sure. But there is one thing…" Iseria stopped. She looked sad when she recalled what happened to her in the past. She continued, "There was a time I hated humans. They are selfish, greedy, arrogant and violent."

Al kept silent and let her express her sadness.

Iseria opened her eyes and looked up the blue and beautiful sky, she then told him, "When I was just a five years old little girl. We were living in an Elf village nearby and we often traded goods with them. One day, my parents walked me to a human village. I thought it was just another great day with them. Until we went to the market, I was so excited that I lost my parents. Then…"

Seeing how struggling she was, Al suggested, "It's okay. You don't have to force yourself."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Iseria smiled at him. Strangely, she felt like she could tell him anything without worrying anything. She continued, "Then a female human came to me. She saw me cry and asked if I was lost. I nodded and she told me she would lead me to my parents. I followed her naively until she took to a basement. After that, she pushed me on the ground and placed her hands between my…"

"Stop, you don't need to tell me any more," Al insisted. He was very surprised at what happened to her and understood her struggle with Alexa.

Feeling the care from Al, Iseria could not help but smiled. Every time she remembered it, it always hurt her. However, it did not anymore with him around. She said, "You are quick-understanding, you know?"

"It's not the first time I heard a story like yours," Al responded, "My mother often helped to soothe those who shared the same pain as you. Most of them were traumatized that imprisoned themselves and never opened to anyone. It was hard to help them but my mother always insisted to do what she could. It took a lot of time and she was always proud when they finally walked out."

At that moment, Iseria realized Al was following his mother's path. "I see..." she smiled and continued, "You know, I don't understand how human can overcome their trauma and fear. Even after so many decades, I still can't forget what happened in the past."

"On the opposite, isn't it because their lives are shorter than elves, they have to overcome it and keep forward?" Al asked back.

"Oh…" Iseria was surprised to see a simple fact that was not hard to find out. She smiled and continued, "You're right. But I don't hate all humans, especially Queen Diene and Sir Charles."

"I'm listening," Al said.

"You know about the Archdemon war, right?" Iseria asked and he nodded, "Over 20 years ago, I was pulling out elves who wanted to run away from the war. Most of them were wounded and scared. At that time, I lost faith in the goddess and the Heir of the Covenant. So I ran away, leaving my home and settled in a new forest. But that forest was "own" by some nobles and they forced us to leave but they said we could stay if we paid tax. When we refused, they forced the other humans to burn the forest. We had no choice but to pay tax. But it was so expensive and it drained our lives. Then one day, a Suin named Cartuja and his… "friends", came and met me to offer a "good" deal."

Feeling strange at her words and expressions, Al wondered, "Cartuja? You mean the big brown fur Suin?"

"You know him?" Iseria was surprised.

"Yeah, I met him back in Aakhen. He was very friendly and noisy," Al answered. "So, what did he offer?" he then asked.

"He and his "friends" asked me to lead them to a ruin, where they buried the fake artifacts and let the archeologists found them. Then they would buy them at a cheap price and sold them at a higher price at the market. Basically, they were scammers," Iseria explained.

"That's it, huh? I thought he was a good man. We even had a drink." Al felt very strange. Back in Aakhen, he thought Cartuja was a lousy but kind Suin.

Seeing the struggling on Al's face, Iseria tried to calm him down, "Please don't be angry at him. Cartuja didn't want to do it but his other fellows forced him. Besides, he needed money badly back then. You know the Suin was hunted and scattered around the Orbis, right?" Iseria stopped and Al nodded. She then continued, "Cartuja wanted to help his people and it needed a lot of money. And he decided to do anything at any cost to make money, even if it was dirty. You know, when I met him again, he apologized to me and explained that "it's either rob or being robbed". But he didn't regret it if it meant to help his people."

Al was surprised as he did not know what they had been through. He then asked, "So, what was next?"

"Obviously, we all were imprisoned. But one day, Sir Charles came in and asked if I wanted to join the Ezera's army and became the second-in-command of the Order of the Sword. I was very surprised," Iseria told.

"A prison took a high position, I can see that many people didn't agree with Sir Charles," Al thought for a second and said.

"You got it right," Iseria smiled, "To prove that Sir Charles was not wrong, I had to prove myself as well. When I defeated Sir Crozet, the Knight Commander of the Shield, Sir Charles invited me to a fight. I won but it was clear that he let me win."

Remembering how Charles scared the hell out of him, Al looked away and Iseria could see his body was shaking a little. "Yeah…" he mumbled weakly.

It was weird and funny that Iseria had to cover her smile. She then calmed him, "Please don't hate Sir Charles. He is a very kind-hearted commander that always takes care of his subordinates. Honestly, I was really surprised when he praised you but right now, I see he wasn't wrong at all."

"Whatever you say, ma'am…" Al responded. Seeing how Iseria was having fun, he pretentiously shook his body.

"What surprised me more was Queen Diene. After I had been appointed, she granted me a land where I and the other elves could live. At first, I wanted to refuse since I was green but she and Sir Charles kept insisting," Iseria recalled.

"She sounds like a great queen," Al commented.

"Yes, she was," Iseria nodded, "Instead of focusing on the nobles and riches, she focused on the people. Thanks to that, they had a better life than before but it was kind of tickling the high-class nobles."

"Of course, they don't want to lose their benefits," Al said.

"That's right. But thanks to the Orders and Sir Charles, they didn't dare to do anything. But sadly, Queen Diene passed away one day, leaving the young king behind," Iseria felt sad when she remembered the queen.

"I think it's enough negative emotions today," Al stood up, "I wonder how Ezera looks like."

"I'll show you around if you come there one day," Iseria smiled and they kept training.

Later, Yuna and Charles came to them. Seeing them were still training hard and full focused that did not realize their appearance until they came too close. Iseria and Al quickly greeted him and Charles waved his hand as he did not want them to be so polite and strange to him. As for Yuna, she was holding a strange thing and she gave it to Al afterward. Iseria wondered what it was.

"Behold! My latest product, Mr. Beam Spammer Mk.2," Yuna said loudly and looked like she was having fun.

"Could you just stop naming things weirdly?" Al pretended to be annoyed.

"Oh come on. It is so cool when people shouting and screaming their skills and attacks in the middle of the fight," Yuna would not give up easily.

"What kind of idiots will do that?" Al wondered.

"Apologize, now! To all the protagonists of anime!"

"Hell no."

"Youth," Charles looked at Yuna and Al arguing and smiled joyfully while Iseria was struggling to calm them down.

"Alright, whatever it is, how is it?" After a while, Al took what Yuna brought to him. At first, it looked like a steel stick but Al transformed it to a gun. The barrel was small and had the size of the sword.

"I analyzed the Mk.1 and now you can cast any magic on it without fault. But instead of firing live ammo, it will fire magic beams depending on what you cast on it. It can be fire, ice, or wind," Yuna explained.

"Thank you," Al responded.

"If you are grateful to me, then call its name properly," Yuna seemed to be excited about some reason.

"Yeah… no," Al sighed.

Looking at Al for a while, Charles asked, "So, how is the training going?"

"I…" Al felt a bit of disappointment inside. He then answered, "No matter how many times I tried, I could only lift them for a few seconds."

Charles paused for a few seconds before dropping his great sword on the ground, "Try picking it up," he stated.

Al did not know what the Knight Commander intended to do. He looked at Iseria and saw her nodding. He then grabbed the sword's grip and tried to pick up but no matter how hard he tried, the sword did not move at all. It was very heavy and it made Al wonder how Charles could carry it so easily.

"What is a weapon for you? A tool, or a part of your body?" Charles asked and Al could not answer. He then continued, "If it is a tool, what do you use it for? If it is a part of your body, how do you control it? And If it is a weapon, what are you fighting for?"

At first, Al did not understand Charles fully and either did Iseria and Yuna. When he looked at Charles' eyes, Al felt like the Knight Commander knew he had the answer. Holding his breath, Al tried again. This time, he focused very hard and thought carefully of what Charles said to him. Slowly, the great sword was lifted. Al had to hold it by both hands but it would take more than that to use it as Charles did. Breathing and sweating, Al stood the sword up and he could hear the claps from Charles.

"Excellence," Charles praised him. "And keep going," he said and the young Suin nodded.

Al felt something was awaken inside him. He looked at his new gun and decided to try. As Iseria was expected, the gun was flying on the air. Although it was not stable, it was clear that Al could finally make a big improvement. When both Yuna and Iseria complimented him, Al lost focus on a second and the gun fired a blazing beam that flamed on a tree. Suddenly, a strong wind from nowhere helped to spread the fire. Iseria, Yuna, and Al tried to put off the fire while Charles was laughing.

"Please, Sir Charles, now is not the time to laugh," Iseria commented.

Suddenly, Charles held his sword and swung strongly, created a wind that extinguished the fire and he left afterward, leaving the trio looking at him with their shocking eyes as they did not know what just happened.


	24. Chapter 24

Two weeks later, Iseria returned to Ezera. It appeared she did not only train students in Reingar, but also soldiers in Ezera. Before going back, Iseria and Al had another date and Al gave her some advice with Alexa. Sooner or later, it bettered if she expressed her true feelings for her instead of avoiding or hiding it. Whether if Alexa liked it or not, it did not matter since it was Iseria's true thoughts and if she felt annoying or thankful, she should just express it. In exchange, Al had to promise that he would not slack off.

But things went off after Iseria left. The next week passed quickly and there was something that made Al avoided his female friends. He met and chat with them less than before. At first, they thought he was busy studying and did not notice at all.

One day, Charles was walking on a forest outside Reingar's wall with King Aither. Suddenly, he felt strong and enormous magic. Someone was using a powerful magic skill nearby and it made Charles curious. Later, he found Al was standing in the middle of an open place. He was training and at this time, he could fully control two guns. However, something was wrong with him.

When Al ordered his guns to fire rapidly, he did not target anything but blind firing. He destroyed the whole place and turned the grasses into dust. And when the guns came back to him, Al kneeled down and his nose bled.

The young king was impressed with Al's ability but Charles did not. When he looked at the Knight Commander, Aither startled because he had never seen Charles that angry. The old commander did not say anything but held his sword tightly. Instantly, Al noticed him and he was ready.

Charles charged to Al and he dodged it successfully before he controlled two guns to shoot at Charles but it did not give the Knight Commander any challenge. Al knew it as well and he increased the fire rate while Charles swung his sword. Two explosions banged and the battle turned into a place full of smoke.

When the smoke faded away, Aither was surprised that Charles had dropped his sword and Al had the advantage. Having no weapons left, Al charged to Charles. "Foolishness," Charles mumbled when Al closed to him. The Knight Commander then punched Al and he did not need to use his dominant hand to knock him down instantly.

That night, Al woke up just to see Charles sitting next to his sickbed. He looked disappointed when he looked at him.

"Easily falling into a simple trap, I expected more than that from you," Charles sighed when he crossed his arms.

Al did not know what to say, "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry?" Charles leaned his back.

"Because… I failed you?" Al had no idea what Charles wanted from him.

"So? You're just being sorry because you "think" you failed me. Why don't you think that you don't need to satisfy me instead?" Charles asked and Al had no answer. "I heard some rumors recently and what you have been doing. Avoiding your friends won't make those rumors go away."

Al kept silent for a while. His mind was a mess and he could not think clearly. He then said, "I thought it would be the best for them…"

When he said that, Charles understood his feeling and he did not angry at all. Instead, he softly commented, "It is "your" thoughts, not theirs. You don't want your friends to be sad but you don't even bother to understand how they feel. Why do you impose your thoughts on others, without letting them express what they think?"

Hearing what Charles said, Al could not say anything anymore.

"There will be a time you will struggle, but hurt yourself won't do anything well," Charles stood up and slapped his shoulder softly. "It's been a tiring day. Take some rest," he said and left afterward.

One week after the rumors surfaced, Tamarinne was working in the kitchen with some female friends for the "Cooking with idols". Strangely, she was losing her focus. In the morning, she met Al after practicing but instead of spending some time with her like usual, he acted abnormal and kept distant with her, before he left in a hurry. It made Tamarinne wonder why he acted so.

"Tamarinne, it's burning!"

A female student shouted out loud, which made Tamarinne startled and quickly turned off the cook. Unfortunately, the meal she was cooking was totally burnt badly and could not be used for the show. Luckily, they still had a lot of time to prepare another one.

"Are you okay? If you're not, then postpone the show," the female student who warned Tamarinne suggested. She looked worried.

"No, I'm okay," Tamarinne smiled at her.

"I've never seen you careless before. There must be something going on," another female student commented. "Is it because of the rumors?"

Tamarinne was surprised when she heard the question. She then asked, "What rumors?"

"Well…." The two students looked at each other. They were not sure if they should tell Tamarinne. They were afraid that it would affect her.

Seeing they were struggling, Tamarinne insisted, "Please, just tell me."

"It's about you, Carrot, Lady Iseria… and Al," the two students had no choice but to tell her.

"Wait, what?" Tamarinne was surprised.

"They said that he was trying to take advantage of three of you."

"How ridiculous! We are just friends."

"Apparently, they don't think so."

At that moment, Tamarinne started having a clear picture. She knew Al for too long, enough to know who he was. He was very sensitive and those rumors must get him hard. He was afraid that those rumors would affect the three of them. It was why he acted so strangely whenever she met him. And then, Tamarinne started worrying about him. She wondered what she could do to help him overcome it.

At the shooting range, Al was gazing on the new type of gun which he was introduced by some friendly students. Normally, he would jump in excitedly but it did not happen this time. Many groups of students nearby were mumbling while they were looking at him. Despite the hatred, they did not dare to push things further. They knew that Charles was fond of him and they knew what he was capable of.

While looking at the other groups, a male student slapped Al's shoulder and asked, "You okay, buddy?"

Startling, Al replied, "Hm! Oh… Uhm… I'm okay, thanks."

"They really have a lot of free time, spreading ridiculous rumors like that," a female student commented. She started feeling annoying when she looked around and she comforted Al afterward, "Listen, you don't have to waste your time with them."

"I know that," Al nodded but it was not as easy as they advised.

"But I have to ask if you don't mind…" another male student looked at Al and spoke, but he paused. It seemed he was doubting himself.

"It's okay, just ask," Al said.

"Well… you know…. Do you…" the male student stuttered but a female student slapped his back and looked at him seriously. Calming himself, he went straight to the point, "Do you have a thing to Tamarinne?"

"A… what?" Al was surprised by the question.

"He asked if you and Tamarinne are a couple," the female student made it clearer.

"Really? How can you think it's possible?" Al sighed. He did not like the question at all.

"What do you mean?" one of them asked.

"Let's say…" Al looked at the sky and he started thinking. He looked very sad and all of the students wondered if they should not ask the question. After a few minutes, when Al was gazing on the air lifelessly, they decided to let it pass but Al answered them. "Let's start with Iseria first. You know she is an elf, right?"

"Yeah?" they nodded.

"The elves can live for hundreds of years, maybe a thousand. Meanwhile, we only live for like 100 years. Comparing to each other, our lifespan is nothing than a short dream of the elves. In the end, one of us will die sooner than the other."

"Ah, I see what you mean," a female student quickly caught the idea. Then she asked, "But don't you think it's still great that both of you have some beautiful time together?"

"But it is short, do you think it's worth for her?" Al replied. From his expression, they could clearly see he would not change his mind. He continued, "An elf should marry an elf so that they can walk together until the end. Isn't it what a life partner is? Aside from that, she holds a very important role in Ezera. Comparing to her, what do I have to be worthy of her?"

As Al said, he was very frankly with his thoughts. Iseria was in a high place and he thought the distance between them was too big. He did not want anything that could affect her. Comparing to her, he did not have anything in his hand.

He then continued, "For Carrot, she is a researcher and we all know how important her work is, and how busy she is. I really don't want to bother her too much and the fact that she still spends sometimes to teach me study is enough. I don't want anything that possibly distracted her from her career."

"So… what about Tamarinne?" the male student was curious.

"As for Tamarinne…"

Al said and paused again. He could not lie to himself that Tamarinne did not hold a special place in his heart. She was the first person who opened him to a new world. Whenever he was doubting himself, or whatever he did, she was always there encouraging him and it was why he could move forward. He owned her too much and he could do anything for her. And he also knew how rough of the path she chose.

"As for Tamarinne…" Al repeated his line, "… she is so special. The first time I heard her song, I was… so attached to it. I've never heard anyone who sings so beautifully like that before. I swear I can hear her songs again and again. From outside, it looks like she is having a great career but…" he paused, and then finished his line, "…one day, I read an article about how tough of being an idol."

"What do you mean?" the students asked.

"Tamarinne always trains hard days by days and she had to keep her form, which means she had to keep her diet. The training is very tough and tired, to both mind and body. Despite that, she still burdens them all and brings joy and happiness to others. And then, when it comes to her fans, it said that no one wants their idol to be taken away. A career of an idol can keep going or be ruined depends on their fan more than I can imagine. I cannot lie that I'm not a fan of her, and I don't want to see her stop singing because of me."

When Al explained, the female students hit the male students from the back and stared at them. The male students did not know what Tamarinne had been through to become an idol and how hard she had to keep being an idol. They just saw she sang and danced and enjoyed them. And they were very disturbing when the rumors between Al and Tamarinne spreading around. But when they knew Al's feelings, they wanted to apologize to him.

Back to Al, he still remembered what Charles said to him, that he imposed his thoughts on others, without letting them express how they felt. Al said he wanted the best for them but it was his thoughts, not theirs. But it could not help him to stop doing so. He was so afraid of talking with them and he chose to stay away from them. He knew that it was not the best option but he did not know what to do.

Suddenly, while they were all silent, the students saw a familiar face was heading to them. Giggling, they decided to leave and let them have their time. But before that, a female student asked, "So Al, what do you think about Tamarinne, like, what do you like about her?"

"She's…" Al replied weakly. He was not sure how to answer that question. It was not because he did not know the idea, he simply did not know where to start. After a while, he answered, "She's kind and generous. Despite feeling embarrassed, she always tries her best and doesn't even know she does it better than she expects. She always encourages her friend to do the same thing. She's also good at singing, more like, way too good. She's always so beautiful when she sings and dances. And she…"

At he went on and on, Al turned back just to see the person she was describing standing there, looking at him with her joyful smile. Her face was a little pink when he praised her. Being surprised and shocked, Al could not even react to her appearance. Meanwhile, his friends already left and gave the two of them some private time. Although they still felt uneasy and annoying from the other groups, they had high hope that they would not dare to cross the line.

The two of them looked at each other for a while, simply because they did not know what to speak. And when they started hearing voices from the other students, Al turned away and used the shotgun on his hand to distract him from her. He then said, "I thought you are preparing for the show afternoon?"

"I'm on the break," Tamarinne replied. One thing for sure, she did not like how Al dodged her. Looking around, she thought it was not the right place for them. She suggested, "There's something in my mind and I would like to have someone accompanying me, for a walk."

"I'm sure you have a lot of people who will so," Al said.

"Can't it be you?"

As Tamarinne asked, Al wanted to say no. But when he looked at her worrying eyes, he could not bring himself up to reject it. Finally, he took a deep breath and placed the shotgun on the table, before he answered, "Okay, if it makes you better."

No need to say, Tamarinne was happy when he agreed and they both left the shooting range afterward, leaving all the jealous students behind. When they were walking on the stone road inside a park, they both kept silent again. However, the two of them felt secured and joyful when they were alone together. But for Al, he wondered if it could go on for a little longer.

When they stopped at a lake and sat on a rock bench, Al asked, "Do you feel better?"

"A little," Tamarinne replied.

Just like him, she wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to lean on him but she knew it would be too sudden. The more she stayed with him, the more she wanted it to last. She did not like the rumors at all, and she started hating those who started and spread it. But thinking of them would not do anything well. Knowing Al, she had to stand up instead of waiting for things or someone else appeared and solved it for her, just like it always happened before.

"Do those rumors bother you?" Tamarinne asked.

"Yeah…" Al nodded, "… but I don't care about them much. What about you? I hope it won't affect you."

"They already did," Tamarinne stated, "They affected a person closed to me, making him feel uneasy and keep distant from me."

Al was stunned and he kept his silence.

"They are just rumors, you shouldn't let it affect you," Tamarinne advised.

"It's not about me, it's about you," Al replied, "I'm… worried that it will ruin your career and your fans will hate you."

"So?" Tamarinne looked at him and Al could not believe the seriousness in her eyes. "Everything has its time. Sooner or later, my career will end and somebody will take my place. It happens a lot, or, every time in my world, and maybe in this world, too."

"You know…" Al stopped. He crossed his fingers and leaned his back while looking at the blue sky. "I read an article about the life of idols. I picked it when we went to your world. When I read it, I realized that I only saw the glory of the outside and I didn't even have an idea of how you suffered and struggled."

"Oh…"

Tamarinne was surprised when Al gave the newspaper to her. He always kept it with him as an item to remind him of things around the idols. Tamarinne realized it the moment she read the article. But it did not make her hate him, but even admired and respected him more than before. He was so worried about her that he would not risk things that could affect her.

"I just… don't know how you can do it…" Al stated.

"Because I always have people who support me, like you," Tamarinne replied. And when she said, Al looked at her as if he wondered if she was not joking. But the young idol stood firmly. And then, she retold her idol life, "At first, my parents were very skeptical and suggested me not to become an idol. But it was my dream when I was a little girl. Fortunately, after long hours of persuading them, they finally accepted it. Then I signed my name for an idol company.

The first days were very tough. We sang and danced every day. Some attendants gave up and left. I felt very sad for them but the manager said only the best ones could stand until the last. Then I got my first debut and… it went over expectation. I still remember the day the manager told me that I got the 1st rank on the billboard.

But nothing good lasted forever. One day, a person from a famous company wanted to sign a contract with my company. Then the company's director wanted to meet me… personally. The manager felt something wrong and she told me that if anything happened, I must run away. I thought she was exaggerating but she wasn't. When I met the director, he wanted me to strip my clothes and sat on the bathtub, and said that he wanted to take a bath with me to test my skills…"

"What an asshole," Al quickly got the idea and he could not hold his rage.

"Thankfully, the manager and some people stormed in time and pulled me out. The director didn't forget to threaten us. But the manager was determined and the next day, the director was arrested and imprisoned for sexual harassment. And I was not his first victim. Until this day, I still could not believe how lucky I was."

"Yeah…" Al was not sure what he should say anymore.

"But I still remembered what the manager told me. She said that my career is a thing, but if I have a chance to find my true happiness, then I should pursue it. So, if one day, I have someone stays by my side, even if my idol time comes to an end, I won't mind it after all."

As she said, Tamarinne looked at Al and he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Tamarinne turned away while smiling.

It was not that Al did not get what she said. He wondered if he could be what Tamarinne expected. He was scared that he could not. Until this time, he still kept distant with every girl he met but for Tamarinne, he started having the same feelings as he had with Elena. He had to hide them. He did not want to be with Tamarinne just because she was a famous idol and he wanted her to consider carefully. But in the end, it was his thoughts, not hers. After all, he was afraid of falling in love again.

"I am so lucky…" he spoke with his trembling voice, "… that I met you, and be a fan of you. It's enough to make me happy and I really don't want to push things further. You're so amazing in many aspects. I… don't want to see you… as a replacement."

When he said that, Tamarinne realized he had not got over the pain he had before, the pain of the unrequited love. But it did not change her feelings for him and only made her respected him more. Nevertheless, she wanted to give him more time, as long as he needed it.

"Elena, it is her name, right?" Tamarinne asked and Al nodded. She continued, "You told me that you didn't want to force her, instead, you respected her choice. If I said that I already have my choice right here, right now, will you force me to abandon it?"

"I…" Al could not speak anything when Tamarinne leaned on him. He could feel the warmth of her skin when their bodies touched each other. He could not think clearly and Tamarinne was right. He did not want to force Elena and let her make her own decision.

"When you keep distant from me, I was very scared. I thought that you would leave without saying goodbye. Please, don't do it," Tamarinne said and she grabbed his hand. Then they stopped talking and crossed their fingers.

Later, the two of them returned to the kitchen. They spent their time for too long that it passed the time of the show. Thankfully, the students who were their friends quickly announced that the show would be held a bit later and would not be completely postponed. It also meant they had to act faster.

When they came to the kitchen, the two female students who helped Tamarinne to cook the food for the show quickly moved out and left the kitchen for both of them, which made them uncomprehensive but they did not have the time to think.

Meanwhile, the group of students who were friends of Al and Tamarinne, were looking at them from outside stealthily. A female student commented, "Looks like the situation is handled pretty well."

"Somehow, I can hear the scream of her male fans," a male student said.

"Aren't you the same?" another male student commented.

At the same time, Tamarinne and Al were preparing the food and the students were surprised at how perfectly sync they were.

"The ducks are cooked," Al said when he checked the fried duck meats in the pan.

"Okay. Place them on the disc, above a bamboo leaf," Tamarinne said when she looked at the duck meats.

Al opened a wooden cabin below him, "No disc here."

"Check the left one."

"Got it," Al put of several while discs and opened a fridge. He saw a box of bamboo leaves and opened it. Then he said, "They are small."

Tamarinne stopped and replied, "Check the box on the right, floor three."

"See' em."

With all the effort they put in, the show was held perfectly. After the hard-working, Tamarinne and Al could finally sigh in relief. When they brought all the tools back to the kitchen, their friends helped them to clean up, and when the two of them left the kitchen after a short persuasion. For some reason, they could hear some cracking noises from the kitchen, along with some shoutings and screamings.

"What a tiring day," Al commented when he walked with Tamarinne back to her room.

"But it's fun," Tamarinne smiled, and later, she grabbed his arm and pretended she needed something to lean on, which Al also pretended he did not see or feel anything.

Suddenly, Tamarinne saw something behind them through the glass window. She turned back and saw a male student, and he was holding a knife. Without saying anything, he charged at Al. Before Al could react, Tamarinne jumped out and blocked him from the attack. And the knife brutally pierced her chest. Al quickly caught Tamarinne when she fell down in the shock of him and the attacker. Blood bled more and more every second.

"Don't do this to me! Please, don't do this to me!" Al spoke in fear. He never felt this much fear and pain in his life. Stroking her face, he could feel she was weakening. Her eyes slowly closing until it completely shut.

When Al turned to the attacker, he felt nothing but furious. He placed Tamarinne on the ground and attacked the student. He could not control his rage for the attacker and the anger of failing to protect Tamarinne. He grabbed and put the student on the ground and rapidly punched him to the face. Then he picked up a vase nearby and smashed it right to the student's face. The noise of the one-sided battle attached some students nearby. They rushed in and saw the terrifying situation. Some male students quickly pulled Al out before he killed the culprit. Fortunately, the lieutenant of the Reingar security passed by.

"Stop it, Al!" Karin shouted. Al startled and he stopped. While the male students held Al, Karin checked Tamarinne's pulse. She then looked at Al and said, "She's still breathing but she was very weak. We have to hurry. Let me take care of the culprit. You should go with her."

Al was very surprised at how calm and reasonable Karin was. It looked like she was a completely different person he met before. The first impression they had to each other was a battle between them, which came from a misjudge from Karin. But it was not the right time to think anything else aside from Tamarinne's life. When a medical stretcher was brought, Al quickly placed Tamarinne on it and he rushed with some student to the nearest medic station.

When the medic station's door was opened, the doctors and the nurses stationing inside instantly understood the situation. They pulled the stretcher inside and asked Al to stay outside. While sitting on a bench next to the medic station's door, Al blamed himself for being careless.

Later, Yuna rushed and saw Al. He was crossing his fingers so tightly that bleed himself and he did not even notice it. Yuna quickly detached his fingers and snapped him out of his thoughts. She then asked, "What happened?" When Al retold her, Yuna was shocked. She would not think that such a terrible thing would happen. Then she thought that everything was the same, no matter where they were.

"It was my fault…" Al blamed himself. If something bad happened to Tamarinne, he would never forgive himself.

"Don't say that. It was so sudden," Yuna tried to comfort him.

Later, a nurse came out and asked if Yuna could come with him. When she came in, she could not believe her eyes. The doctors already put a white blanket on Tamarinne's face. According to them, the knife pierced through her heart and damaged it badly. Yuna walked to her friend and shook her body as if she thought Tamarinne was kidding.

"Hey, Somi," Yuna called her friend her real name with her shaking voice. She then touched and shook her arm. Tears rolled on her eyes as she called her name again and again. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding. It's not funny."

And then, Yuna could not stop crying. The doctors and the nurses stood there in silence.

Sitting outside, Al still had no idea of the situation. He then started something he had never done before. He crossed his fingers again, and prayed, "Goddess Diche, if you hear me, please don't let Tamarinne leave this world."

Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse came out. Looking at him, Al was hoping for the best but sometimes, the truth was cruel. The nurse shook his head and Al thought he was joking. And when he came outside, seeing Yuna was crying on Tamarinne's surgery bed, Al collapsed on his knees.

"Hey, Yuna..." he called the president's name with his shaking voice and shocking eyes. Yuna turned back just to see Al was kneeling there. Al then said, "She's just sleeping, right?"

Yuna could not answer. She just shook her head.

Al slammed both his fists on the ground, touching his forehead on the floor and cries. He punched the floor rapidly and even bleeding himself, but the pain of losing a loved one could never be compared to anything else.

Suddenly, Karzan, the guardian of time appeared from thin air. He was shocked by what he was witnessing but more importantly, both him and his Heir, Yuna, could feel the strange and sinister aura from Al. Yuna was surprised at first but then she remembered what Karzan told her before. Just like Karzan, Al was a guardian but more importantly, if he suffered a strong negative emotion, he would be corrupted and became a monster.

As Karzan was preparing to kill Al before he transformed, the time stopped suddenly, everything and everyone stopped moving. From the air, a stunningly beautiful woman appeared. She was so beautiful as if no one could compare to her. She had long blonde hair and her body was glowing golden light. She looked at Al and smiled. Then she stepped close to Tamarinne. She looked at the young idol, smiling and surfing her finger on Tamarinne's wound before she disappeared. When everything returned to normal, Yuna heard a beep sound from the electrocardiogram screen nearby, she then shouted immediately to stop Karzan. After that, the doctors checked carefully and Tamarinne's heart beat again in the shock of everyone. Nobody could explain what just happened. As for Yuna, she signed in relief. When she looked at Al, she was very happy that nothing bad happened.

As for Al, he was still shocked at the miracle that happened in front of his eyes. He could not believe that Tamarinne was going to make it after a lethal wound. Nevertheless, he could not hide and hold his happiness that she was still alive and that was more important than anything else. As for Karzan, just like others, he did not understand what happened. As a close friend of Al, he did not want to kill him if it was not the last option. However, no matter what just happened, it was a good thing.

One week later, Tamarinne opened her eyes, and slowly, she realized she was in a recovery room. When she turned to her left, she was surprised that Al was there, sitting on a chair next to her sickbed and sleeping. On a small table next to him, several paper cranes were placed on it.

Yuna opened the door and stepped in. She was so happy that Tamarinne finally awoke. She quickly rushed to her friend and said in tears, "Tamarinne, you're back."

"Sorry for making you worry," Tamarinne smiled and Yuna helped her getting up.

Leaning her back on a white pillow, Tamarinne looked at Al before she turned to Yuna, "How long has he been here?"

"Everyday," Yuna replied. "He barely left the room and stayed with you the whole week, except when the nurses washed your body, of course," Yuna continued and laughed joyfully.

"Yeah yeah," Tamarinne shook her head slightly but she was still happy when she heard that. Looking at those paper cranes, she asked, "What are they?"

"Oh, that?" Yuna looked at the paper cranes on the desk and answered, "A nurse said to Al that if he folded one thousand paper cranes, you would recover faster. Then he asked her how to fold them. He has spent the whole week to fold them but could only fold like a dozen. And they all look wrinkled."

"They're all beautiful," Tamarinne said when she picked up a paper crane. As Yuna said, the paper crane was not perfect. It looked ugly and wrinkled but Tamarinne did not even care. Remembering something, Tamarinne asked, "Do you know the guy who attacked us?"

"Oh, he is a fan of yours," Yuna replied, "Well, a crazy and obsessed one. He didn't like how close you and Al were and his motivation was to keep you "away from danger". Honestly, I wouldn't expect to see it happen, although I did hear something similar happened in our world."

"Let's just stop here," Tamarinne suggested but it was because she did not want to wake Al up. Yuna understood her intention and she left afterward.

When Al woke up, no need to say, he was speechless to see Tamarinne was safe and sound. Then he felt very embarrassed when Tamarinne was holding a paper crane folded by him on her hands. While chatting, Tamarinne suddenly asked him to turn away for a few seconds. Even though Al had no idea why she asked so, he did it anyway and Tamarinne used this chance to kiss him on his cheek, which stunned him afterward. When he saw her happy smile, he could not say anything and smiled at her.

Later, when he brought her a hot soup. Tamarinne looked at him when he sat down and asked, "Can you feed me?"

"Wait, why?" Al could not believe what he just heard.

"Come on, I'm on a sickbed," Tamarinne smiled and Al could not resist it.

"Okay, okay," he gave up and did as she said. When Tamarinne ate the first spoon, he asked, "How is it?"

"It's tasty," she replied in happiness. "Who cooked it?"

"Take a guess," Al smiled at her. Tamarinne instantly got the answer and it made her even happier.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day after Tamarinne had woken up, everyone was shocked that she recovered so fast and it looked like there was no wound on her chest. Nobody could explain it and so did Tamarinne. After examining her carefully, the doctor said she was free to go.

"Come on, don't be so worry," Tamarinne said to Al. When they left the recovery room, Al looked so worried and Tamarinne tried to comfort him. She even raised her both arms on the air to show her muscles.

"If you said so," Al replied. Just like everyone else, he had not believed in the miracle happened in front of their eyes. He then reminded her, "If you feel wrong, tell me, okay?"

Tamarinne nodded and smiled. She felt so happy when being cared by the person she loved. When they came to a private room, where Tamarinne used for her training, Al could not get his eyes out of her. The way she danced and sang were always so attractive and full of compassion. For some reasons, Tamarinne seemed to be more energetic and comfortable than usual. After an hour, the secretary of Reingar president, Hazel, opened the door and brought a box full of letters.

"Tamarinne, here's your fan's letters," Hazel placed the box on a table and said.

Al looked at the number of letters inside the box and he was surprised, "That's a lot."

Tamarinne took a break and opened some letters. It was still the same as always. The letters contained the love of her fans, as well as the wish for her to recover soon. Some letter praised her talents and cuteness, and some scared her of how obsessed her fans were.

"You shouldn't be with that guy."

"Stay away from him! He's a bad omen."

"You belong to us, not him."

Tamarinne took a look of some letters Al opened and she was shocked, but it turned to sadness afterward. However, looking of how sad Al was, she knew she should not be afraid and worried as she was before. It was not for her sake, but for him as well.

"They sure have a lot of free time," Tamarinne sat next to him and commented, before she cleaned those letters away.

Al kept silent. Something struggled in his mind. He knew he should expect it but it was still bitter. He then looked at Tamarinne and asked, "Are you sure it was the right choice?"

"Yes, it was, and always will be," Tamarinne smiled, before she kissed his cheek. Then they opened some letters and they both were surprised.

"You two looks cute. Stay happy, okay."

"Will you and Al perform more cooking? You two are so perfectly sync."

"Make Al sing and dance, too."

Obviously, there would be those who did not like their relationship but on the other side, there would be those who liked it. They could not help but smiled to each other.

"As some recommended, why don't you try to sing and dance?" Tamarinne suddenly asked.

"No, no, no and no!" Al replied repeatedly while shaking his head.

"Come on, it will be fun."

As Tamarinne kept persuading, Al kept refusing. He knew he could not do what Tamarinne said, even if he tried, it could end up being a disaster. On the other hand, although Tamarinne said so, it was very fun to tease him.

Two weeks later, Iseria came to Reingar and quickly got the wind about Tamarinne's accident. She was glad that both of them were okay. Later, they returned to their training. Iseria felt proud that her instruction did not go to waste as Al could easily control one flying gun. However, he had slow improvement with two guns but Iseria did not want to force him. She predicted that it would take him quite a long time for Al to reach her level. Nevertheless, she had no doubt that he would give up easily.

After the training, Iseria and Al had a walk outside the university and came back to the noodle shop. As they were eating, Iseria wanted to ask him a few things. She started, "If you don't mind, can I ask a few things?"

"Yes?" Al wondered.

"Are you… a guardian?"

Being surprised with the question, Al questioned if Iseria knew his true identity. He kept silent for a moment before asking, "Why the question?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to bust you out," Iseria was worried that he would not trust her. "To tell you the truth, I am an Heir and my guardian is Zaeon. We came from Dun Blyraia, a forest located in the northeast of Ritania," she continued.

"Oh…" Al was quite shocked with the answer. He did feel something strange about Iseria but he was not sure and he did not mind it much, as long as they were friends. He then asked, "So, how did you know?"

"Ras told me," Iseria replied, "I hope you won't be angry but after "testing" you, Sir Charles wanted me to investigate you. I asked Ras and he told me that you are a guardian similar to Arkasus, Zaeon and Cromcruz."

"Did Sir Charles suspect me?" Al turned away.

"A little but when Ras confirmed your identity, he wanted to full-support you. Also, I took a trip to Dun Blyraia and asked Zaeon if he knows you. He said that you can be trusted. But there is one question…" Iseria explained and paused.

"I assume it is where my master, or heir, is?" Al asked and Iseria nodded. He continued, "You can say that I cut off the link between me and "her", meaning right now, I'm just a wandering guardian."

"Can I ask why?" Iseria wondered.

"It's complicated…" Al took a deep breath and retold her the whole story. From the day he was adopted, then was raised by his parents, how they sacrificed for him. Then he told her the battle in Aakhen, how he awoke his true power, and why he left his master. Iseria kept silent and heard his story, and she felt sad for him. After the long story, Al stayed silent for a few seconds, before he asked, "Is it weird?"

"No, not at all," Iseria shook her head but after the story. She only admired him more.

After that, they stopped the guardian stuff and chatted friendly. Al was still shocked by how much Iseria could eat. When they returned, Al bought a spicy seafood noodle for Tamarinne, although he was not sure if she would like it or not.

"There you are!"

Suddenly, on the way back, they felt a strange present. When they turned back, they saw a young and cute girl standing behind them. She wore a short white shirt and long tight black pants. Playing with her twin-tail pink hair, she smiled but Iseria and Al quickly prepared for the worst.

"Oh, come on! don't be that unfriendly. I just want to talk," the young girl said.

"I don't have anything to talk with you…" Al replied and called her name, "…Tenebria."

"That's rude, you know," Tenebria responded. She then went to the main topic, "I'm only here for you so why don't you be nice and follow me quietly.?"

"Why should I do that?" Al asked back while Iseria summoned her flying swords.

"Come on, I promise it will be fun," Tenebria insisted.

"There is nothing fun with you around," Al replied.

"Okay, then we'll go the hard way."

As she finished, Tenebria charged them with high speed. While Al took the front, Iseria prepared the swords and attacked her. Suddenly, all of Iseria's swords flew through Tenebria, specifically, her image and it faded away after. When they realized, a large pink magic ball fell on them from the sky, created a loud bang and knocking them down immediately.

"I don't remember you being this fragile. What a pity," Tenebria came close to Al. Realizing he was trying to get up, she smashed his head brutally, before commented, "Ah right, you don't have a master. That explains why you're so weak. Well, just keep sleeping and have a nice dream."

Tenebria opened a portal afterward. When she pointed her hand to Al, he was floating on the air and she dragged her through the portal. Iseria woke up and saw the whole scene but she could not do anything to stop her. She lost her consciousness after Tenebria and Al disappeared.

Several days later, in the East Taranor region, located on the north of Ezera, far away from the city, covered by the shadow of a large tree there was a graveside. The person buried under the ground had the most beautiful view of the city below. In front of it, Ras was carrying a bouquet of white flowers, and carefully placed it. Accompany with him was Mercedes and his guardian, Arkasus. For some reason, Mercedes seemed very sad and did not dare to step close to the graveside.

Ras placed the flower next to the graveside and smiled. "Hey, I'm back again!" he said. Then he saw down and look at the graveyard. He did not know what to say but to remember the days they fought and watched each other's back in the previous Archdemon wars. They were friends and comrades for six straight wars until the seventh war separated them. Seeing him keep silent, Mercedes and Arkasus decided to let him be.

A few hours later, Ras stood up and came back to his friends. Looking at the sadness in Mercedes eyes, he comforted her, "Don't be that sad. What happened, happened. It was not your fault at all."

"But…" Mercedes struggled and squeezed her hands, "… if I was not being controlled…"

"As I said, it was not your fault," Ras smiled. "It's late, let's go back."

On the way back, Mercedes wondered if she should ask him. Even though the war was over, the guilt of killing Ras's best friend had still haunted her to this day. She kept opened and closed her mouth, struggling to speak to him.

"Meru, if you have something to say, then say it," the blue and white furball, Arkasus, suggested.

"Something's wrong, Mercedes?" Ras realized her strange expression and asked afterward.

Catching a deep breath, she placed one hand on her chest and asked, "Why… don't you have me? I was the one who killed General Vildred."

"Why should I?" Ras smiled the smile that always made her happy to see. He then said, "I told you, and I will do it over and over until you understand that no matter what happens, I will never hate you. You are very important to me, Mercedes, and I won't let you leave me like Vildred. So stop worrying, okay? I don't like seeing you sad either."

Hearing those words, Mercedes's face started blushing. Her expression combined with relief and happiness. She then understood that she was just being awkward and thinking too much. She quietly called his name and smiled.

"Master pulled out a confession to Meru. Arky is happy," the blue furball spoke joyfully.

"A… what?" both Ras and Mercedes had no idea what he just said.

"There is a common term in human emotion, that is when a person makes the other one smile and blushing, that means he or she is confessing their love," Arkasus explained.

"I'm not sure I get it," Ras mumbled. Although he looked like a human, he did not understand much about their emotions. He could understand joy and sadness, forgiveness, and hatred, but love was something he had not to understand.

"Do you know anything about "love"?" Mercedes looked at Arkasus.

"I don't know," Arkasus sadly replied.

"Then why did you say like you're sure about it?" Ras was surprised.

"When I was in Reingar walking around with Tamarinne, I saw some students acted like you just did. I asked Tamarinne and she said so to me," Arkasus explained.

"Probably Miss Tamarinne knows what it is," Mercedes commented.

"Hm…" Ras paused and then he suggested, "How about we go to Reingar and ask her? Maybe we can learn something about it."

Mercedes and Arkasus were glad to join him but for that furball guardian, he only dreamt about the snacks in Reingar. Little did they know, the university was in chaos after Tenebria had come back. Fortunately, she left afterward. Yuna and her friends tried to maintain the order and luckily, nothing bad happened. Her guardian, Karzan, made a few investigations and did not see any clue of Tenebria, at least, not in Reingar.

Returning to her office, Yuna asked Karzan, "Have you found anything?"

"No," the guardian of time shook his head. "However, I'm wondering why did she kidnap him?"

"Is he possible a threat to her?" Yuna asked.

"Unlikely. Despite being a guardian, he is too weak to be a threat," Karzan replied. "I'll try to contact other guardians and see what they can find. High possibility that she isn't in Reingar," he continued.

In the meantime, Iseria came back to Ezera to report to Charles what happened. Among all of them, Tamariine was the one trying hard to stay calm and act normally. She tried staying calm but she could not get rid of the worrying thoughts about Al. Although she knew too little about Tenebria, Tamarinne questioned what she wanted from him. She could not do anything but waiting for everyone's investigation. Days went by and her worrying started getting bigger. She usually missed calls from the others or people often saw her gazing to the air lifelessly. Seeing it was getting worse, Yuna tried to comfort her closet friend but it did not do much.

One week later, located in the west of Aakhen city was the city of sorcerers, called Witchaven. In the center of the region, the citizens built their house in a large forest full of big trees. Different than the usual gothic and medieval styles like other cities, they built their house based and attached to the tree they chose.

On a small road outside of the city, a woman in a blue and white dress was walking and accompany her was a man, who was the same age as hers. Loosening his arm, the woman held it tightly as she did not want to leave his side. Scratching his short black hair, the man removed his white coat and put on her shoulder. The night was quiet, the forest was silent, the cool breeze flew through them and the sky was full of stars. At this moment, the woman only thought of themselves about their happy future. At first, she did not believe it at all but everything happened so suddenly, and when she felt it was real, she could not be happier.

"Until now, I still can't believe it," the man spoke while leaning his shoulder to her arm.

"About what?" the woman replied.

"Me, a dead man, walking with the livings," the man answered. "Remember when my eyes closed, the last thing I saw was your smile. Then when I opened my eyes, I saw myself being buried underground, inside a coffin. It took me like hours to get out…" the man paused. He caught a breath and continued, "But I was so weak and wandered around. Then I remembered the war and what I did. Later, I found out you officially became a city lord. If I just came to you, it might create troubles so I decided to hide for a while."

The woman stayed silent and heard what he said. She could not help but smiled and comforted him, "I understand. It was all so sudden, to me and you. Honestly, the first I saw you again, I thought I was seeing a ghost but you were not."

"I'm sorry for letting you wait for so long…" the man bowed his head.

"It wasn't even half a year so I don't really think it was long…" the woman teased him and he could only turn away embarrassedly.

"One other thing, I'm sorry for all the mess I made," the man said.

"It's okay, too. You tried so hard to redeem yourself and it led to your… "fake death". Hopefully, you won't pull another stupid punch like that again," the woman pouted her lips.

"Come on, I'm sorry, okay?" the man pretended to be annoyed and they laughed afterward before they kept walking. Then the man said, "I promise you, Vivian, I will never leave you again."

"You shouldn't be," the woman replied. Then she asked, "So, what were you doing when you were hiding?"

"I lurked around Witchaven and found out that a lot of sorcerers, young or old, didn't like you took charge of the city," the man retold her, "But since they didn't show any threat or create collateral damage, I left them alone but that didn't mean I half-open my eyes to them."

"You're right. Not all of them satisfied with me, especially after all the other sages and council members are gone. But it could explain why they didn't show any objection. So, it was all you alone," the city lord said.

"I killed so many people in the past and I disgusted myself, but if anyone dares to hurt you, I will show them no mercy," the man showed his seriousness, then he softened his voice, "But there is something I am still worried."

"What is it?" the woman questioned.

"Even after the war ended, nobody knows what is waiting ahead. I'm worried that if one day, another threat comes and we are powerless against it, just like Straze and his minions," the man replied.

"I understand what you meant. But after the war, everyone is exhausted and there is a lot of damage. We need time to recover before thinking of improving our military power," Vivian explained.

"I know," the man nodded.

"But one more thing, after Queen Lilias died, Perlands becomes unstable and likely, another civil war will happen. No one can be sure if it will affect Witchaven or not," she added.

The man looked up to the sky and said, "Because it doesn't happen right now doesn't mean it will never happen. Sooner or later, we have to stay cautious and be prepared." Then he looked at her, "But no matter what happens, I will protect you, I promise."

"Thank you," Vivian smiled happily.

When they kept walking and chatting, the woman expressed all her feelings towards him, how she thought about him, how she missed when he was gone. The longer she said, the more scared she was if he would leave her again. Then she felt relieved and happy when she heard that he would never let it happen again. Then, a moment later, they stopped, their eyes met each other and she closed her eyes when his lips near hers.

"What a pathetic woman," from a distance, on a tree, the cute girl named Tenebria was watching at Vivian, who was standing there alone and acted strangely. "But it is fun to see people enjoy their delusion before knowing it is all fake. I can't wait to see her struggling when she realizes the dream I give her, don't you agree, Minos? Or should I say, Al?"

Floating next to her was Al, who was trying to escape. But no matter what he did, the pink gas which Tenebria controlled to bind him squeezed him harder.

"I'm amazed that you haven't fallen to my control yet, but I expected that from a guardian, especially…" Tenebria smiled and used one finger to touch his face. She smirked joyfully when she saw the resistance from his eyes. She then continued, "Especially, when we are the same kind. But even so, I must admit that I want your power. I can only give people what they want to see, but you are even more capable than that."

After she had said, the pink gas squeezed Al harder, created unimaginable pain for him and Tenebria enjoyed it sadistically.

"You know, looking at that woman reminds me the first time you corrupted," Tenebria placed a finger on her lips and looked at Vivian, who was dreaming without even realizing it. She then continued, "Just like you, she lost someone and instead of facing that loss, she'd rather live in delusion with that person. Nevertheless, I can't help but enjoy seeing how stupid and pathetic you are. It never gets bored at all."

As she finished, Tenebria began giving Vivian more delusions. It pushed further to where she and her loved one married, had children, and lived a happy life until the end. But then, she adjusted and made Vivian realized it was just one possible future in her "delusion". Whatever it was, she could not escape from it.


	26. Chapter 26

One month passed, in Ezera, while sitting on a chair, Charles was reading reports. Next to him was a small table that had a teacup and a pot. He was having a private space and time in the morning. However, he seemed to be worried.

Not long later, the second-in-command of the Order of the Swords, Iseria came close to him. She was holding another pack of reports. "Sir Charles, we have some news," she said.

"Go on, please," Charles softly replied.

"The situation in Perland city is getting worse. According to our secret agents, there is a high possibility a civil will be carried on in the next few months, for the least," Iseria said and opened the next page. She continued, "Without the leader to take in charge of the region, the other noble families are trying to gather the people's support and steadily building army for their own."

"I see…" Charles sighed and looked outside. He seemed to be sad and Iseria wondered why. He took a sip from the teacup and said, "We did what we could. Lady Iseria, please announce our troops in Perland to prepare to return. We will leave Perland's face to its people."

"Sir, with all respect…" Iseria paused. There was something in her mind. She did not understand why Charles decided to withdraw their troops stationed in Perland. After reading the reports, Iseria thought if Ezera's army stayed there, it could probably stop a civil war. Catching a deep breath, she spoke, "Do you think we should leave? The innocent people will be heavily suffered if another civil war goes on."

"I understand your concern but right now, we don't have a choice," Charles re-arranged all the reports while replying. "The longer we stay, the higher chance we will be seen as an invader. Maybe you don't know, but all the countries on Orbis have rules of war. It includes that if a foreign army station in another foreign country, or city, for too long, it will be seen as an act of violation of those rules and the intruder will be punished. From the day Queen Lilias was killed on the battlefield, our troops have remained in Perland for over six months, acting as a peacekeeper. However, it's time for us to move out."

"So you mean… we should just leave and let the war happen again?" Iseria responded. Her eyes looked sad and hopeless.

"I feel your worry about them but right now, the only thing we can do is hope for the best," Charles tried to comfort her. Then, he changed the subject, "Have we heard anything from Mr. Violet Harrison?"

Iseria shook her head, "No, sir."

"Things just keep getting out of hands," Charles sighed in disappointment. After that, they kept silent and when Charles looked outside, he closed his eyes and thought internally, "Forgive me, Queen Lilias. I failed you."

After a long silence, Charles remembered of something. He then looked at Iseria and asked, "Do we have any clue of Al's whereabout?"

"About that…" Iseria paused before she gave Charles a photo. In the center of the photo, there was a young girl who had long blue hair and cold red eyes. She was wielding a large axe and it looked like she was watching a group of people, who was working on something. Both Charles and Iseria knew this young girl. The female elf said, "We spotted Ravi, Tenebria's subordinate, a week ago, in Witchaven."

"Witchaven? Is that the city of sorcerer?" Charles asked.

"That's right, sir. So far, we haven't found the reason why she stays there. High chance that Tenebria is around there, too. Also, from our spies, it seems she was traveling to a Suin and human village near Witchaven," Iseria added. "Sadly, we haven't figured out her motivation yet."

"Hm…" Charles stopped and thought carefully. Everything happened so sudden and the reason why Tenebria kidnapped Al was still a mystery. He wondered what she wanted from that young Suin. Was it because he was a guardian? He thought but it did not make any sense at all.

"But at least, we have some good news," Iseria commented and Charles was looking at her. She continued, "We know where Ravi is, which means she can lead us to Tenebria, and we have a higher chance to find Al. Also…" she paused. Her facial expression told Charles that she was not sure to believe it or not. They were not in the rush so Charles gave her time to consider her thoughts. Then, she continued, "Apparently, Guardian Zaeon and Guardian Karzan said that we might have a new Heir."

"Oh? Interesting. Did they confirm who it is?" Charles placed his finger on his beard and doubted. He seemed to be relieved.

"No sir," Iseria shook her head.

After that, Charles discussed with Iseria about all the protocols needed for withdrawing Ezera's soldiers out of Perland. Despite the worrying for the citizens, they had no choice but hope for peace. The last job Charles gave Iseria was to keep investigating Ravi and watched for her movement, as well as found out where Tenebria was at this moment. But from his experience, he wondered if another battle would happen in Witchaven. However, he could not risk moving troops to that city. He could only put his trust in Iseria and other Heirs.

A few days later, back in Reingar, Ras, Mercedes, Arkasus, Yuna, Karzan, and Iseria were having a discussion in Yuna's office.

"So you're saying Tenebria in Witchaven?" Ras started when he saw the reports and photos from Iseria.

"High possibility," Iseria nodded, "with Al, we suspect." She then looked at the Heir of the Covenant, "What do you think, Ras?"

"Knowing Tenebria, she only does what she wants. Everything to her is just a game and human lives are just toys," Ras commented. "Probably she finds something interests her in Witchaven."

"Even so, why don't people in Withchaven suspect her?" Yuna asked.

"Tenebria is an Acolyte and she sides with Archdemon, and they only appear in Ritania so it's not a surprise when people in Cidonia don't know anything about them," Karzan explained.

"But it still doesn't explain why Tenebria kidnapped Al," Iseria added.

"Can it be because he is a guardian like Arky?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm not sure about it. I really can't find the reason behind her action," Ras concerned.

"That said…" the blue fluffy furball next to Ras spoke, "… if he is a guardian, why don't I remember anything about him?"

"That's because you're an idiot who only cares about snacks," Karzan critically explained.

"Hey, that's an insult," Arkasus angrily reacted.

"Hard to say I can disagree with him," Ras smirked and the fluffy furball jumped on his face afterward.

"Wait…" when Ras and Arkasus lightened the mood, Karzan realized something and everyone was waiting for him. After thinking for a while, he spoke, "I think I can find the common between Al and Tenebria. You all know that Tenebria can create illusions, right?". When he asked, everyone nodded and Karzan continued, "She can give what people want to see and trick them to do what she wants. However, if the target has a strong mind, enough to realize what is wrong in her illusion, they can escape her illusion. On the opposite, although Al can do the same, he can easily manipulate people's minds. He can create delusion but he can control that delusion.

"Can you let me take you as an example?" Karzan looked at Yuna and she nodded afterward. He continued, "Imagine you see your father as delusion. He will be exactly the same as you remember. If Tenebria can make you see what you think your father will say, Al can be your father and he will tell you to do what he wants you to. Another thing is Al can imprison a person to their dream, forever. In short, he has the ability that Tenebria wants to have."

"So you mean, she wants to use his power, or takes it from him?" Yuna started worrying.

Karzan and Al were close friends and he shared his feelings with Yuna, "That's the possibility I can think of. However, I don't think he will easily be controlled, unless, she already finds a way to do so."

"Whatever it is, I think we should warn Witchaven city lord," Iseria suggested.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Mercedes disagreed. She then said, "If Tenebria knows we're coming, she probably escapes or destroys the city. I think we should pretend like we don't know anything and come to Withchaven as tourists. That way we can let her think we are falling to her trap."

"That's a great idea. I totally agree," Ras was surprised with her plan and fully supported her. When he did so, Mercedes's face blushed slightly.

After discussing their plan, Yuna said, "Okay, we will prepare and dispatch tomorrow. Let's bring Al back."

"Before that…" Karzan spoke on as he had something in his mind, "… I suggest we should bring Miss Tamarinne with us."

"You mean, the idol? Why?" Ras asked.

"Call it a hunch but I think she will help us saving Al," Karzan replied.

"Arky is worried," the blue fluffy ball raised his concerned voice. "It is a dangerous trip. Tenebria is strong but Tamarinne isn't good as fighting. Arky don't want anything bad happens to her."

"Hm…" Yuna looked at Karzan. She did not understand why he wanted to bring Tamarinne with them. She knew that Tamarinne was very worried about Al but she was not sure if it was a good idea. It would put her in danger and if something bad happened to her, Al probably would suffer. Nevertheless, even though Karzan could not explain his hunch, Yuna trusted her guardian and agreed with him.

Back in Witchaven, a man who had short brown hair was walking on a corridor. The sunlight from the window reflected his hurry steps and the wind slightly blew his long green coat. He fixed his glasses but it did not hide his worrying face. Later, he opened a large wooden door and entered a large room, which was the office of the Witchaven city lord. In front of him at this moment was the young woman named Vivian. Seeing the young man, the city lord wondered why he looked so stressed. She then fixed her long blue dress and sat steadily.

"What's wrong, Woodrow?" the woman politely asked. "You look strange."

"Please take a look at it," the young man placed many flyers on the table in front of Vivian's eyes. Each of them contained names and dates of missing. They could be human and Suin, young and old, even children. Looking at them, Vivian did not understand his action. Woodrow then explained, "Recently, we receive a lot of many people who go missing. Sometimes, it's even a whole family."

Vivian checked all of them and asked, "Haven't you organized the guards to find them?"

"I already did but some of them even disappeared. And all of the missing connects to one suspect," Woodrow came closed to Vivian and he was very determined. "The disappearance has started from the day that woman named Tenebria came here. We have many reports that she and her friend, a young girl named Ravi, wandering around the location where people missing."

Vivian was not satisfied with his suspicion. She replied, "That alone won't be enough to frame a person. Maybe it's just coincidence."

"You should be considered, city lord. That woman… I can sense something… evil, malevolent, wickedness, from her. She may look young and act cute and friendly, but that doesn't mean we should let our guard off. Don't forget she's an outsider," Woodrow tried his best to convince the city lord.

"As I said before, you should stay calm and start investigating more carefully. I don't see any reason why Miss Tenebria has to kidnap those people," Vivian muffled and stood up. She angrily responded, "It's highly a coincidence and that's why I want you to investigate more carefully so we don't arrest innocent people. And don't forget that even she is an outsider, she has helped us a lot with researching magic. There are so many ancient and forgotten spells that have been recovered thanks to her. I tell you once again: investigating carefully."

"I am," Woodrow slammed his hands on the table. "You have to listen to me. There is some shady about that woman and we have to act soon before it's too late."

When they were arguing, Tenebria was observing the conversation and she smiled mysteriously. After a while, she stepped in and acted as she did not know anything. She then said, "Are you two arguing? Why?"

Seeing the female Acolyte, Vivian spoke her name politely, "Oh, Miss Tenebria."

"We are speaking about you," Woodrow said cautiously as Tenebria came closer.

"Miss Tenebria, can I ask you one thing?" Vivian asked and she nodded. "Recently we have a lot of missing people. You don't have any part in it?"

"What are you talking about?" Tenebria asked as she did not understand.

"Don't lie to us. Every time a person disappears, you and your friend were around there. There's no way it's just simply a coincidence," Woodrow kept his aggression firmly and looked at her with his angry eyes.

"So?" Tenebria replied. "Just because I was near them and it made me the culprit? You should know better than that. Is there any proof you can show us that I got involve in those disappearances?"

"No…" Woodrow hopelessly and weakly responded.

"If you're suspecting me, then I stay clear: I don't know anything about those who are missing. I'm just a wanderer who travels around and tries to recover lost magic. If you just accuse me of something I don't commit, then I'll leave right away," Tenebria said but when she did that, she put one hand behind her back and moved her fingers as she was casting a spell.

"Right…" Woodrow suddenly changed his attitude. He became calmer and softer towards her. "But still…" he insisted.

"According to Witchaven's law, I can sue you if you accuse me wrongly, am I right?" she then turned to Vivian.

"Of course," the city lord nodded before she turned to the young man. "You heard her, Woodrow. She has the right to legally do so if you keep harassing her."

"Fine then," Woodrow fixed his glasses and said before he left, "I keep investigating and report to you if I find anything new."

When the door closed, Vivian sighed and looked at Tenebria, "I'm sorry, Miss Tenebria."

"Don't mention it. I understand why he did so," the acolyte nodded and kept her mystery smile.

"But he was right that we have a lot of missing recently so everyone is on the edge."

"Whatever it is, I hope we will fight the cause soon," Tenebria acted as she supported Vivian. Then, she asked, "So, Miss Vivian, can I ask you one thing?"

"Please, go on?" Vivian wondered.

"One night, when I was having a walk, I saw you with a man. You seemed happy and I wondered who that was," Tenebria asked with her lying words.

Vivian was surprised, "Oh, that's…"

"Don't worry. I'll keep it secret for you. That person must be very important to you, am I right?" Tenebria said.

"Yeah…" Vivian replied shyly as her cheeks turned pink. "It was Kawerik, my childhood friend."

"So, what's the story? Tell me, please?" Tenebria insisted. She acted like a curious and innocent person.

"It's a long story but just know that I thought he was far away from me, then he suddenly appeared and I guess you know the rest," Vivian gave a short answer.

"I'm not sure if I can say I know the rest…" Tenebria put a finger on her lips. "I have seen a lot of women like you being happy with a man. Why though?"

"Oh, that's… a tough question…" Vivian was surprised. It was embarrassing to answer her but looking as her innocent face, Vivian could not help but smile. "You can say it is… "love"."

"Love? What is it?" Tenebria questioned again. She heard it many times but she did not fully understand it.

"Let's see…" Vivian started thinking. In her eyes, Tenebria was just an innocent and talented young girl. The day she came here, Tenebria did not suspect her at all but she was impressed with her vast knowledge of magic. They then became friends. After thinking for a while, Vivian answered, "You can say it is the feelings that two people give to each other. Most of the time, it makes them not to leave each other sides. If you feel happy, the other will feel the same and so is the opposite. And that person must be very special that you want to be with them until the day you die. I think it is what love is. It connects two persons and makes them happy."

"Hm…" Tenebria thought hard. Later, she asked, "I'm not sure I understand but do you think I will have someone like that one day?"

"Of course, I hope you will find one and live a happy life," Vivian smiled.

"But when you say "love" makes two people happy, what if one of them dies?" Tenebria asked curiously.

"Well, that's quite a sudden," Vivian was stunned. She did not understand why she had to add death in the conversation. But Vivian thought it was not a big deal after all. Nevertheless, it reminded her the day Kawerik died and somehow, he turned back and she was scared of losing him again. Since Tenebria was waiting for the question, Vivian stopped thinking and answered, "If someone you love leaves you, it will be very painful and you will feel like you can't recover from it."

Hearing the answer, Tenebria smiled strangely again. She thought it would be fun when Vivian found out the truth and she could not wait for that moment.


	27. Chapter 27

Onboard the flying ship, when everyone was gathering in the canteen, they saw Iseria was gazing on the air. She looked like she was struggling with something. Tilting her head and placing her cheek on her palm, Iseria was staring at her curry dish placed on the wooden table. Everyone was not sure what was happening to her. Ras, Mercedes, Yuna, Tamarinne and Arkasus looked at each other as they were discussing who should speak to her.

"Iseria! Iseria!"

Finally, the honor was "given" to Ras, the only male member on the ship, excluding his fluffy guardian. Ras looked at the female elf and called her name rapidly until she woke up.

"Oh! Uhm… sorry," Iseria startling that she nearly dropped her spoon. She looked at everyone embarrassingly and apologized to them.

"Something's wrong?" Yuna asked.

Did not want to worry them, Iseria quickly replied, "I'm okay. Just… something's in my mind and I really don't know how to stop thinking about it."

"Definitely something is going on," Yuna commented.

"I guess so," Iseria sighed.

"Is there something we can help?" Mercedes suggested.

"Well…"

Iseria looked at the Homunculus and she wondered if it was the last person who she wanted to take advice from. Like Ras, Mercedes did not understand human emotions and Iseria could not tell she was not the same. She was not sure if Yuna and Tamarinne could help her. The only person she could rely on when she needed advice was not here. Then she remembered what he advised her before.

The female elf took a deep breath to release all the heavy thought before she spoke on, "It's about me and Lady Alexa."

"You mean, the young girl who is your subordinate?" Ras looked at her and she nodded.

Several days ago, when Iseria was preparing for the trip. Alexa came in her room nervously. Iseria wondered why she came and told her to sit down on a wooden chair, before she offered her a cup of herb tea.

"Lady Iseria, can you tell me why you came in a hurry?" Iseria softly asked.

The young girl held the teacup made from porcelain. She looked at the tea surface disappointingly before she replied, "Pardon me but… I heard that you're going to Witchaven. Can I ask why I can't follow you as always?"

"Oh, about that…" Iseria sat down on another wooden chair in front of Alexa, "… it will be dangerous so we agreed that only the Heirs will go. I got permission from Sir Charles."

"It didn't answer my question."

"It did. I already said it will be dangerous so I could not let who isn't capable to come with us. The enemy we will be facing is Tenebria. You already acknowledge what she can do and it means there will be Archdemon with her, in the worst-case scenario."

"Even so, I believe I am capable to support you…"

"No, you are not," Iseria boldly responded as Iseria insisted. "I know you for too long and I admire your concern for me but when I said you are not strong enough, I really mean it," she explained.

Both of them kept silent as they did not know what to say next. Looking at Iseria's expression, she knew that she was serious and if she tried to do what she wanted, she could be punished due to insubordination. However, she did not want to let her go into danger without her. She wished to be with her together, and even died together. She also did not want to see her be with anyone except herself.

As for Iseria, if it was her before, she would force Alexa to stay no matter what. It was not because she did not trust her, but because she did not want Alexa risk her life meaninglessly. On the other hand, after expressing her past and trauma to Al, she started not keeping distant from others like before, and she started considering their feelings more than ever. Then she thought about Alexa's feelings toward her.

"Lady Iseria, I want to ask you a question and I want your sincere answer. Can you do that?" Iseria sighed a deep breath and looked at Alexa directly. As the young girl nodded, Iseria asked, "Do you like me?"

Alexa was surprised by the question and she did not hesitate to answer it, "Of course."

"More than admiration? Or more than a friend?"

The next question startled Alexa. Iseria's eyes were looking at her as she could read her mind. Alexa could not speak anything. Her mind started being full of thoughts. She wondered why Iseria asked those questions. Was it because she finally understood her feelings, or she hated them? The longer Iseria was waiting, the more confused Alexa was.

"It's more… than a friend," Alexa placed her both hands on her chest and bowed her head down as if she did not want to look at Iseria.

"I see," Iseria responded. "So, you love me, right? Like a man confess his feelings to the woman he loves?"

"Yes," Alexa replied weakly while her tears rolled on her face. To her, it was a forbidden love but she still hoped for it. It was nothing wrong if she hoped for something that could make her happy. Everyone hoped, and so did she.

"Thank you," Iseria smiled and it was enough to calm Alexa down, "I really appreciate your feelings to me."

Alexa was surprised when she heard the answer and she thought that her hope had not disappeared yet.

"And I'm sorry… that I can't respond to it," Iseria then honestly rejected it.

"But why?" Alexa felt enraged as the disappointment growing bigger, and she started speaking senselessly. "Is it because you love someone else? Is it the Heir of the Covenant? Or is it the Suin man? What makes them better than me, because they are all male?"

"They don't relate to it. And no, it's not the fact that they are men," Iseria tried to stay calm but she could not hold it and shout at Alexa. Realizing Alexa was stunned after that, Iseria took a calm breath and softly explained, "It's not because of Ras, or because of Al, or anyone else. It is simply that I can't."

"Then why?"

"Because I see you as a friend, a trusted friend, nothing more, nothing less," Iseria answered and she knew that Alexa would be disappointed. "Please tell me, Lady Alexa, is love the only solution for a relationship? Why can't you let me decide for myself? Why can't we just be good friends?"

When Al told Iseria why he left Constella, instead of staying and fighting for his love, or, taking Elena for himself. She still remembered his sad smile when he replied that it was his choice to love her, but it was not her choice to love him. Everyone had their own choices in their life, including a life partner. He looked at the sky full of stars and told her that no one liked being imposed by others.

As for Alexa, she did not know what to say next. She tried to say but she could not speak anything. They kept silent before Iseria packed her stuff and left.

Back to the present, everyone was surprised to hear Iseria's story. Ras commented, "I didn't know that human emotions can be that complicated. I mean, I surely see Alexa's admiration towards Iseria but I couldn't imagine that she wanted to be with her until the end. Is that what is called "love"?"

"Love is a complicated topic but yeah, I think you can say that," Yuna said.

"Does love between same-gender happen in your world?" Iseria then looked at Yuna and asked.

"Yes, it does. But most of the time, it's a complex topic that I and many people would rather not speak about it," Yuna nodded and she struggled to speak out her thoughts. "But I think as long as it doesn't become an obsession, well, more like, even if it's not an obsession, it's still a dilemma when you just want to be a friend of the one who loves you, so is the opposite."

"Do you love anyone?" Mercedes then asked Yuna which made her not know how to answer immediately.

"Well…" Yuna's face turned red as she looked at Ras but then she remembered that she had someone beside him. They just had not realized their feelings yet and Yuna did not want to step into their relationship. She then answered, "No, I don't. I'm still a young and energetic girl. Love is a disaster that will destroy my freedom."

"I can tell that you're lying," Tamarinne laughed at her childhood friend.

Seeing it was the chance to cheer everyone up, Yuna quickly turned to Tamarinne, "You don't have the right to speak here. Remember that we are on the way to rescue your precious boyfriend."

"Wait, what?" the young idol was surprised as everyone looked at her. Her face blushed when Yuna kept teasing her.

"Arky was right. Tamarinne knows things about love," the fluffy ball on Tamarinne's laps spoke as if he did something proudly

"I see, so Tamarinne knows what love is since she seems to be through it," Ras commented and Tamarinne was stunned of what he just said. His face looked so innocent like a child being curious about things around him. He then asked, "Can you please share with us what love is?"

"Is it true that when a man makes a woman's face turns red, it is a sign of love?" Mercedes added and she had the same innocent face as Ras.

"It must be the truth, right? Also, has he given you any snacks?" The next one was Arkasus.

The three of them targeted Tamarinne non-stopped and in the end, Iseria had to step in to save her from them while Yuna kept laughing joyfully. But in the end, Tamarinne did not hesitate to share her story, although she was very shy about speaking up.

"First, let's say love can come from many meanings, not just about two people," she spoke and looked at the Heir of the Covenant, "Ras, when you fight the evil the protect Orbis, do you fight because it is your duty, or because you don't want bad things to happen on it?"

Her question made Ras paused. For a long time, he only thought his duty was to fight the Archdemon and he had nothing to think about. And then, after he had made friends with so many people, seeing their dream and compassion on this Orbis, he slowly understood why they even risked their lives to fight. They were not fighting for themselves but they were fighting for what was precious to them. Arkasus, Iseria, Mercedes, Kise, Ruele, and Vildred, they all fought for the same cause. Remembering Kise, Ruele, and Vildred, Ras felt sad when they were no longer here, with him. But no matter what, he swore that he would carry on their dreams.

"I did think because it was my duty," Ras spoke up, "but after so many years, I realized that it was no longer a duty anymore and yes, you are right. I fight for Orbis because I don't want to see it be destroyed."

"Is Orbis precious to you?" Tamarinne asked next.

"Yes, it is," Ras nodded.

"Do you have strong emotions for it, like you feel happy when people are living peacefully, or feel angry when someone tries to sabotage the peace?" she asked another question.

"Yes, I do," Ras could not deny it.

"When you have strong emotions that make you feel happy, you can call it love. That said, it is your love for Orbis that motivate you to protect it," Tamarinne smiled and explained.

"Oh, I see," Ras was surprised as if he understood something. "So, if two people have strong emotions for each other, it can be called love?"

"It's very complicated, but it's true at some point," Tamarinne nodded, and then, she missed Al and it made her sad but she could not let it affect the others. She then said, "Let's say, if you have someone special stays on your side, both of you can always share your emotions, or, feelings, to each other. You will be through happiness, joy, pain, and even despair. But it's not like you will be through them all, it is like you will share them with each other, and from that, you will be able to overcome anything."

"But in Lady Iseria's case, why isn't it the same?" Mercedes looked at Iseria and then asked.

"Because Lady Iseria has her own choice. We cannot impose our thoughts and feelings on each other. Love is also built on respect as well," Tamarinne explained. "We can meet many people in our lives, but there is only one person we will want to stay and walk until the end."

"There is something I want to ask…" Ras wondered if his thought was right and it made him sad. Tamarinne nodded and then he asked, "I and Vildred were very closed. We fought together many times, we enjoyed and shared every moment we shared. Is it called love, too?"

"It can, but that is friendship. A lot of people often mistake love and friendship. There is some area that love has, but friendship doesn't. Staying together until the end is an example. A life partner will give a different experience than a friend, or I think so," Tamarinne tried her best to explain. In the end, it was her view about love and she wondered if they could see the same as her.

Ras stopped asking anymore questioned and considered every time he spent with his friends, and he realized there were three people who he had the most feelings for.

The first one was Ruele, the female soul weaver who was Guardian Zaeon's Heir in the sixth world. When the Archdemon killed her, Ras felt very angry and desperately to reach her, but it was too late. The next person was Vildred, a general from Ezera kingdom, who had fought together with him for six straight worlds, before he betrayed and came to the dark side. It was Ras's fault for Vildred's betrayal. Ras still blamed himself that if he told Vildred the truth about the recycle of life and destruction of Orbis, maybe it would lead to a different path. But the past was the past and he could not change it. And the day Vildred died, he felt a strong sad emotion but it was not the same as Ruele.

The last person was not even a human. She was created in a laboratory for an experiment. When he looked at the short light purple hair sitting next to her, he felt the same feelings he had for Ruele. The moment when he stabbed her on the chest after her corruption, Ras felt regret and sadness but he was filled by hope when he knew there was a way to bring her back. He still remembered that he went through everything and when he finally saw her smile and felt the warmth from her skin, he felt like he did not need anything than her appearance.

"Are you okay, Ras?" Mercedes asked when she the strange look Ras gave her.

"No, nothing," Ras smiled and it was enough for Mercedes not to mind anything else. Then he turned to Tamarinne and spoke confidently, "Tamarinne, I promise that I will do everything I can to bring Al back."

"Thank you," Tamarinne gratefully thanked him.


	28. Chapter 28

When the clock passed midnight, Yuna woke up in her room. When she looked through the glass window on the wall, she saw nothing but a thick black sky. Trying hard to sleep but she could not, Yuna got up and went to the canteen. She was surprised when Tamarinne was still waking and read a book.

"Didn't think you would stay up this late," Yuna greeted when she came close to her.

"Oh, Yuna," Tamarinne was startled a bit but she steadied her calm and greeted back. Placing the book on the wooden table, she said, "What about you?"

"Probably I drank too much coffee," Yuna replied and sat down on a chair in front of Tamarinne.

"It's one of your favorite drink, after all," the idol smiled.

Then they kept silent. Looking at her with her worrying eyes, Yuna wondered, "Is everything okay?"

"I really want to say yes, but I feel no at the same time," Tamarinne replied.

"Are you worrying about Al?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah…" Tamarinne nodded, then she said, "Actually, although everything is fine, I'm still worried about us. You know, both you and me, we are not from Orbis originally. I wonder if one day, we will be forced to return to our world."

"I see," Yuna quickly understood what she meant.

"I'm trying not to think negatively, but I'm very scared that when everything is over, we will be parted away and it is not even our will," Tamarinne gazed at the table lifelessly.

Yuna was not sure how to comfort her friend. Suddenly, she remembered something and said, "I think it's not a problem at all. Remember my dimensional machine that we used to return to our world before?". When Tamarinne nodded, she continued, "Actually, I haven't completed yet. When it is finally done, maybe we can come and return every time we want. So cheer up, okay? Looking at how sad you are right now really reducing my motivation."

Tamarinne was surprised but what Yuna said was not impossible. Understanding her feeling, she smiled and replied, "Thank you."

"To tell the truth, you may not have to worry about that," Karzan, Yuna's guardian, suddenly appeared in the thin air and spoke.

His appearance startled both of them and Yuna had to shout as him, "Karzan I told you many times. Don't suddenly appear from out of nowhere like that."

Knowing his fault, Karzan said, "Okay, I'm sorry."

"But what do you mean we don't have to worried?" Tamarinne asked.

"First, nobody knows when everything will be over, so I can say that even if you and Al grow old, you won't be separated," Karzan explained, "Second, Orbis and Earth have a strange connection, like they have a bridge linking each other, and as Yuna said, if she completes her machine, you can come in and come out anytime you want, although I still suggest you should be careful."

"We understand," both Tamarinne and Yuna nodded. It seemed they were worried for nothing.

"One other thing," Karzan spoke and he looked at Yuna, which made her not understanding what he wanted to say. He then continued, "Do you think we should tell her about Al's real identity?"

"What do you mean?" Tamarinne wondered.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Al is the same as Karzan, meaning he is a guardian," Yuna replied and she explained to her the whole thing. At first, Tamarinne was very surprised but she felt sorry for him. Afterward, Yuna said, "We're sorry for hiding you for this long."

It's okay, I understand. Honestly, I didn't think Al is a guardian. It makes him cooler than before," Tamarinne smiled.

"But it means you are very important in this operation," Karzan added, "If something happens to you, Al likely will be corrupted and that is the last thing we want to see."

Karzan was very worried about Al. Until this time, he would not expect him would meet anyone who could possibly be his new Heir. He would never want Al to fight if it was not the last resort. The worry Karzan gave for Al was not because he was a dangerous guardian, who could be corrupted and was able to delete everyone's memory, but because he was a friend of him.

"Actually, Tamarinne is Al's new Heir."

Suddenly, Iseria came in and joined the discussion.

"What do you mean?" Tamarinne looked at the female elf.

"Most of the time, guardians cannot choose their own Heir and normally, it is fate that decides an Heir and a guardian, like me and Yuna for example," Karzan explained.

"But there is some exception. If a guardian has a strong and irreplaceable connection for a person, that person will likely be a Hair as well. Take Ras and Arky as an example, the same as you and Al," Iseria added.

"That's… quite a sudden," Tamarinne did not believe them at first but the way they looked convinced her.

"But still, when I spoke with Zaeon, my guardian, about Al, he seemed to be very mad at Karzan, even though he understood why he awoke him," Iseria said while looking at Karzan.

"That's new to me," Yuna wondered.

"Is it because he's dangerous like Karzan said?" Tamarinne asked.

"No, it's not that reason. But I think we should save it before we rescue Al," Iseria suggested and everyone agreed with her.

"That's said, now Tamarinne is a part of Ultimate Heirs of Orbis team now," Yuna positively laughed and said it out of nowhere.

Understanding her good deed, Iseria looked at Tamarinne, "She's right. I'm looking forward to work with you from now on."

Embarrassingly, Tamarinne replied, "I-I'll do my best!"

The flying ship was floating above the white clouds, too high for anyone on the ground to spot them. People in Perlands or Aakhen kept their daily life going on without noticing it. When the ship reached the sky of Witchaven, they could see the thick green forest in the center of lighter green plains. At first, the team did not see anything unusual and thought nothing bad had happened yet. However, as they descended from the air, they started seeing black smoke scattering around Witchaven. The closer they were to the ground, the more smoke appeared. No need to say anything, they all prepared for the fight.

As the ship landed on an open place, a group of dead white skin monsters, crawling on four legs jumped on the ship and surrounded the team. With their dog-like head and heavy stinky breath from them, they knew Archdemon had returned. Without a warning, the monsters attacked them. Yuna summoned her partner, a white mechanic ball who she named Tuna, appeared digitally from her phone and shot rapid beams to the monster. Iseria cooperated with Mercedes. With their flying swords from Iseria and magic lightings from Mercedes, they were able to deal with large numbers. Meanwhile, Arkasus changed his form from the fluffy ball to a blue wolf. Riding on him was Ras, his Heir. Together, both of them ran around and eliminated any monster surrounded the ship. Tamarinne, the one who was not capable of fighting was being protected by the others. Despite feeling weak, she still supported everyone with her healing magic. Tamarinne was not only able to heal their wounds, but also their strength and endurance, making them be able to fight as their best conditions.

The battle went on fiercely until the Archdemons withdrew to the forest. Taking this chance, the team took a break.

"Tamarinne, are you okay?" Iseria looked at her concernedly.

Breathing tiredly, she replied, "I'm okay,"

Tamarinne looked around the dead bodies of the monsters. It was far more than she expected. Blood and body parts of the monsters were everywhere, on the wooden ship, on the plain ground. It was only a small fight and she startled when she thought of how many times the others had to fight against them. Looking at how the others were holding themselves and acted like it was a normal day, Tamarinne wondered how they could do it.

"She's definitely not okay," Yuna saw through Tamarinne's struggling.

"We can't blame her, after all," Iseria commented.

Tamarinne startled when she realized they were mentioning her. Did not want to worry them, she stated, "Don't worry. I can hold myself." Then she saw something on the sky, she pointed at it as everyone followed her, "What is that?"

Floating on the sky was a giant black ball. Nobody could explain what it was but it was floating above the center of Witchaven. Staying here would not do anything well, they started rushing toward it. Waiting for them were many Archdemon but they could not stop the team.

"What in the world…"

When they moved to the city, they saw the citizens were acting very strange. Some of them were hugging and flirting a tree, or lying on the leaves, picking dirt, and said they were rich. Some of them were swimming in a fountain. The more they moved closer to the city, the stranger it was. And then, they saw a familiar face.

"I see you did come," Tenebria said when she was standing on a balcony of a medium-size house and looked down on them. She smiled mysteriously.

"What have you done, Tenebria?" Ras shouted as her.

Tenebria calmly replied, "No need to be that aggressive. You see, I haven't killed any of them or destroyed any buildings yet. The havoc you see is their works, not mine. I just…" she paused and moved her finger on the air before she finished, "… give them a motivation to do so."

"So instead of doing by yourself, you make them do it. But how?" Yuna questioned.

"You know that everyone has their own demon inside them. They just don't want to reveal it. With the new power, I am able to let them live with their true self," Tenebria replied.

As she spoke, they heard loud bangs and explosions from around the city. Some citizens and sorcerers were destroying things and they all lost their sanity.

"Why are you doing this?" Ras shouted.

"Don't you already forget? I'm an Acolyte, and creating chaos and destruction is my duty. Just like you, the hero who kills the Archdemon and protect the peace," Tenebria answered, "Here's the thing, Ras. Without the villain, the hero will be forgotten. You should thank me instead of being angry at me."

"What is she talking about?" Tamarinne could not understand this woman's mind.

"You're just making excuse. If this wrong sinister is your duty, then it's my duty to eliminate it. I will keep protecting peace until the day I die," Ras spoke determined.

"Speak by a man who slept well in the middle of the Archdemon war decades ago," Tenebria replied and Ras was stunned of what she said. Then she looked at Iseria and said, "I remembered that elf. She was desperately fighting the Archdemon. Just like everyone else, she was hoping that the Heir of the Covenant would wake up and destroyed the Archdemon. But he didn't answer and resulted in many deaths of her friends. And she was not the only one.". Then she smiled devilishly, "If it wasn't for Ras, you would not lose so many friends. It was his fault, am I right?"

"What's in the past belongs to the past. You won't manipulate me that easy," Iseria responded.

"Oh? Is that so?" Tenebria smiled and raised her hand towards the black ball on the air, "How about I reminded you how painful you were suffering?"

As she finished, they all saw something strange on the black ball. It later revealed its true form, an eye with no eyelash eyelid slowly opened. When the orange eyelid and black pupil looked at the team, its pupil expanded.

"Don't look at it!"

Karzan appeared and warned them but he was too late. Ras, Mercedes, Arkasus, Yuna and Iseria was stunned when their eyes met the giant eye. The first one moved again was Arkasus, he jumped on meat stall and ate them raw while happily commented they were all good snacks. Then Yuna walked lifelessly to a citizen while calling her father's name.

"Saria! Wait for me, Saria!" Iseria suddenly rushed to a tree while calling the name of a dead friend.

As for Ras, he kneeled on his knee and started crying. "Vildread…" he mumbled and picked up his sword, and pointed as Mercedes. "It was you… It was you who killed him. I will have my revenge" he angrily shouted at the Homunculus.

"General Vildred. You killed Queen Diene. I will never forgive you," Mercedes mistook Ras, the most important person of her to a dead man. They both then fought as they were enemies and would not stop until one of them died.

"Everyone, wake up!"

Suddenly, only one person in the team was not affected by the giant ball. Tamarinne was shouted out loud and was trying to wake up Yuna and the others but she was helpless. She did not know what she should do and later, Tenebria noticed her immunity.

"I don't understand why you're not affected by the Eye of Illusion," Tenebria landed on the ground and looked at Carrot. She summoned a pink magic ball on her hand and said, "I don't like it so… just die."

When she threw the lethal ball to Tamarinne, Karzan risked himself to protect him but without Yuna's consciousness, he was not able to endure the attack. Even though the magic ball could not kill him, Karzan could not move his body.

"Nice try, but it's over. Without your Heir, you won't be able to reverse time as you did before. But still, you are an annoying opponent so can you please just die?" Tenebria coldly commented before she was ready to throw another destructive magic ball.

Both Tamarinne and Karzan were helpless and could not think clearly. They did not know what to do when many red portal gates opened, and a swarm of monsters appeared from them. Additionally, a giant monster who had tentacles with sharp heads attached to its mouths started roaming and destroyed anything on its path. Being shocked and stunned, both of them thought it was all over.

When Tenebria smiled as victory was in her hands, suddenly, from the air, many purple devil snakes appeared and attacked her rapidly, forcing her to dodge. The next thing she saw was a man in light purple clothes jumped to her and attacked her with his sword. He was so fast that Tenebria could not counter-attack and could only dodge. Finally, she saw a space and summoned a bunch of pink bolts of lightning to hit him. It was nothing but a child play to him. However, instead of keep attacking her, the man stepped back and kept distant.

"Wouldn't expect to see a dead man walking around here," Tenebria said in annoying.

"Sorry Tenebria, but you won't have your way," the mysterious man calmly spoke and he then turned to Tamarinne. "I apologize for all the sudden, young lady but if you want to help us, then point your hand to that giant eye and order it as your command. Right now, you're the only one who can control it," he said

At first, Tamarinne did not understand a thing he said. She looked at Karzan for assistance and saw his nod. Tenebria quickly aimed at her but the mysterious man charged and attacked her. Tamarinne then pointed both of her hands towards the giant eye.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, the eye closed and everyone returned to their sense. The citizens woke up and it did not take them too long to realize their city was surrounded by monsters. They screamed in fear and panic while running for their life.

As for the team, Ras and Mercedes could not understand why they were fighting while Yuna and Iseria struggled to understand what they were doing. But for Ras, when he looked at the man who was fighting Tenebria, he could not hold his shock and surprise.

"Vildred?"

The long black hair man crossed his arms and formed a black magic seal on the ground before he summoned more purple demon snakes and kept Tenebria busy. Meanwhile, Ras lost his words. He was shocked but happy to see him, but when his senses came back, he wondered if it was another illusion created by the Acolyte.

"Vildred, is that you?" Ras asked. He desperately and hopefully that it was not a lie.

"Save the talk later, Ras. Right now, we need to fight back the Archdemon first," the man calmly replied.

Suddenly, black smoke covered Tenebria and when it faded away, she changed her form. Everything on her clothes was changed to black, including her short shirt and pants. Her hair also changed to black as well. As she finished, she created a pink magic ball and smashed it on the ground, destroyed everything around her. But Karzan interfered again as he did before. Everything Tenebria destroyed would return to normal. At this time, she was annoyed and angry. And then, she mysteriously smiled.

As Vildred and Ras charged to her, a shadow figured from the air jumped down on them, smashing the ground strongly that pushed them backward. A man who had dark red hair and wore full black armor, wielding a red and black sword was standing in front of them.

"You're late," Tenebria smirked.

"It's surprised me that you are able to control the whole city. I have to give you a compliment, Tenebria," the man coldly replied.

"Kayron!"

When Vildred saw the man, he angrily called his name and charged to him. Both of them swung their swords. No matter how fast and strong Vildred attacked, Kayron only used one arm to wield his sword and blocked all with ease. When Kayron was smiling, he suddenly saw Ras was standing behind Vildred and closed his eyes. And when he opened them, the ground under him raised up and Ras charged as Kayron at a very high speed, created a sword storm, and attacked Kayron. Being surprised, Kayron was being pushed back. The Acolyte was not the only one who was caught of guard, but Vildred as well. He could not believe how strong Ras was after the last time they met. He smiled confidently and proudly as his best friend and supported him to fight Kayron.

"Need help?" Tenebria watched and mocked him.

"Nice joke. Why don't you take care of the other Heirs, including the new one?" Kayron still held his calm and replied.

"Fine," Tenebria flied away and she came to Yuna, Iseria and Tamarinne.

Looking around, Iseria knew the situation was getting worse. The Archdemon was destroying Witchaven and they were outnumbered. She was trying to think about what they should do but there was no possibility against the two strongest Acolyte and an army of Archdemon.


	29. Chapter 29

A few days later, while walking with a man she loved, Vivian found Tenebria and her fellow, Ravi, were staying in a forest. They were performing a ritual and inside the ritual cycle, a group of humans and Suin was being chained together. And then, when Tenebria raised her hand towards them, the ground glowed and a devilish magic seal appeared. It made their body bigger, before blowing them off to blood, and absorbed everything. Later, a transparent red stone appeared on the air and dropped on the ground.

"Miss Tenebria, what are you doing?" Vivian and the man beside her quickly rushed to them.

"What a nuisance. Please allow me to get rid of her," said the girl, Ravi, who was wielding a big axe.

"No need. I just wonder if she hasn't awakened yet," Tenebria smirked and looked at Vivian.

"What are you talking about?" Vivian was stunned when she heard that.

"Humans are so pathetic. Just give them a nice dream and they never care anything else."

As Tenebria said, Vivian was more uncomprehensive. Then she looked at the person who stood next to her but he was disappeared. She called his name, "Kawerik, where are you?"

"I don't know what that Kawerik person is but apparently, he is so important with her that she couldn't realize it was a delusion after all," Tenebria commented and she was very enjoying the shock from Vivian's eyes.

Vivian tried to find the answer. She asked, "What do you mean?"

"That means everything you see, specifically, the man you think is always with you, is nothing but simply an illusion created by me," Tenebria replied. She could not hold back her excitement when she saw how naïve and struggling Vivian was.

"No, it can't be true," Vivian was stunned of what she just heard. She tried searching for him desperately and left. At this moment, nothing was important than Kawerik, the man who she loved deeply. He was still alive, and she believed that.

"You see, Ravi, it's why I always tell you why humans are so stupid and miserable. They would rather hear a sweet lie instead of facing the cruel truth," Tenebria commented.

"I understand," the girl next to her nodded. Then she said, "So what's next? Can I kill her now?"

"Since she helpfully gives us about those annoying investigations, as well as give us more sacrificed material, I think we should play nice and let her live. When we complete, I will give her another sweet dream and she will never awake from it. And it is what she wants."

Vivian kept running and searching for Kawerik. She ran through streets and roads, through houses and inns, and finally, when she returned to her bedroom desperately, she saw what she wanted to see. The man was there and smiled at her. She ran to him, hugged him, and cried. At that moment, Tenebria finally finished her ritual.

The giant black eye appeared and floating on the air. When people looked at it, they were stunned for a few seconds before acting strangely. They no longer had their own senses and started being strange and did unimagined actions. They were lying down on the ground and the dirt, running on the streets, and swimming in the fountains. Worse, they started fighting for nothing. As for Vivian, she was not the exception. When she looked at the black eye, she paused and did not care anything except the delusion Tenebria gave her.

At the present, Tenebria appeared to Iseria, Yuna and Carrot with her true form, which was called "Specter Tenebria". Both Iseria and Yuna was so angry at her that they attacked her the moment she came. Iseria controlled her flying swords while Yuna summoned a big mechanic canon. They kept attack and shot her but Tenebria was dodging with ease. It was not until Karzan joined the battle. He froze the time and attacked her with his unseen sword. Slashings appeared on the air and Tenebria kept dodging while counter-attacking with her magic balls and bolts of lightning. Despite their effort, Tenebria could easily dodge their attacks without even sweating, even though they attacked her from all directions.

When Iseria was preparing to attack Tenebria again, suddenly, they all felt a powerful earthquake. From a far distance, the giant monster who had sharp-head tentacles was destroying everything on its way. On the ground, people were running away in fear and panic, some of them stopped running and hid, praying that it would end soon. Meanwhile, Witchaven's sorcerers were doing their best to stop the monsters but sooner or later, they would all be killed.

Realizing the situation was getting worse, Iseria looked at Yuna and Karzan. Understanding her intention, the two of them nodded and kept attacking Tenebria. Iseria then crossed her finger and summoned her guardian, Zaeon. After a short praying, a giant humanoid guardian appeared from the sky and attacked the giant monster. It used its tentacles to attack the guardian but his rough and tough skin protected him from all the attacks. When the monster released a deadly purple beam, the guardian used his purple cape to block it but at the moment the beam contacted the cape, it scattered to many smaller beams and destroyed the ground. Then the giant monsters used its tentacle again but this time, Zaeon successfully grabbed them and used his sharp claw to cut them.

When the battle was going on fiercely, Tamarinne once again saw something wrong. Ras, Mercedes, and Vildred were attacking each other, the same thing happened with Iseria and Yuna, Karzan and Zaeon. This time, it was getting worse. Wounds and injuries started appearing on their body, even the guardians were no exception. Worse, they were not realizing they were fighting against their friends while destroying the city. Additionally, the Archdemon did not appear and wreck anything. Meanwhile, the citizens still had not wakened up yet. Carrot looked at the giant eye on the sky again and it was opening its eye. She tried to order it again but Tenebria teleported to her.

Tenebria then released a black smoke and grabbed Tamarinne, and it squeezed her brutally. Tamarinne screamed in pain but the smoke even covered her mouth. Smiling, Tenebria said, "You definitely give me a little surprise here, so I will grant you a quick death, just like I did to the other Heirs of that guardian. However, there is something I want to ask you as well."

As she spoke, Tenebria released the smoke that covered Tamarinne's mouth. She could not understand what Tenebria was saying. She then asked, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, most of the time, Minos' Heirs don't live long, and when they die, he becomes a monster, just to be killed and nobody remembers him. In the time like that, I find it very amusing to see him suffered and corrupted."

The more Tenebria spoke, the more shocked Carrot was about her cruelty. She then asked, "Why did you kidnap Al?"

"Oh, I forgot. It is his name in this reincarnation. Well, just know that his power is similar to me but better. As you can see, he can manipulate people's minds so easily while I can only create illusions," Tenebria explained while she and Tamarinne looked at the others were fighting to the death. She then continued, "Isn't it amusing? Comrade-in-arms killing each other. I can't wait to see their reactions when they kill their friends."

"You're the worst," Tamarinne was so angry. She was known as a shy and embarrassed girl. But at this moment, when she faced Tenebria's nonsense actions and purposes, she felt no sympathy towards this woman. She tried to escape from the black smoke but no matter how hard she tried, it squeezed her harder as if it could break her bones easily.

"Tell me, girl. What do you think that every time, Minos chooses his Heirs who he has feelings for, do you feel jealous?"

"What?" Tamarinne could not understand what Tenebria just said.

"Guess he hasn't told you as well. Here's the thing," the female Acolyte smiled mysteriously, "To take it simply, your guardian has fallen in love and has slept with many women, who are all his Heirs, in many lives. And you are the same as them."

Tamarinne was getting more confused as she could not believe what she just heard.

"That's right. That is the face I want to see. Confusion, struggling, pain. I've never got bored looking at them," Tenebria said as she was enjoying.

Tamarinne did not know what to think anymore. Yuna explained to her that most of the time, Al's Heir was a woman who he was very closed to, and could possibly be his love. They also told her about his corruption in the past and it could relate to the death of his Heirs. However, if Al had to live through many lives and suffered from the death of his loved ones, Tamarinne could not help but feel sorry for him more. She did not feel any jealousness towards those Heirs. And if she was his Heir, she knew she had to stay alive for him. First, she needed to find a way out. Thinking fast, she pretentiously asked, "Can you tell me what do you mean when you said "many lives"?"

"Oh, you don't know," Tenebria paused, and then she did not mind explaining. "In fact, Minos is a stupid divine being who decided to abandon his duty so that he could live with a woman she loved. Of course, it made the gods angry so they punished him. They took away his immortality and killed that woman. Then Diche stepped in and saved him. She was the first one to stop his corruption. She could not recover his immortality and could only give him a lifespan of a human being. However, if he awakes his guardian power, then his memory will recover but it doesn't stop him from forgetting everything when he dies," Tenebria chuckled.

Trying to connect everything Tenebria just said, Tamarinne started having a clear picture of Al and it only made her feel sorrier for him. She realized that if Al was a guardian like Karzan and Zaeon, even if he had a lifespan of a human being, he was not different than Ras and other guardians, who witnessed countless deaths of their friends and Heirs. And for Al, he would remember and suffer from every death of those he loved.

"I cannot die…" Tamarinne said when she tried escaping the black smoke.

Tenebria was surprised. After everything she said, she thought she would see Tamarinne suffering before she killed her. But the way Tamarinne fought for her life surprised her. She said, "Still resisting? You're quite stubborn but I expected that."

Surrounding Al was a pitch black. His eyes closed and he could not hear anything. But he still felt sleepy. He was tired and he wanted to sleep more. Then, a strong glowing light appeared in front of him. A beautiful woman who had long golden hair and angel wings flew to him. As the woman stepped close to Al, she was crying. She felt very sorry for him. Even though everyone might forget him, she was one of the few persons who knew his suffering.

She then held his face softly and spoke to him. "Wake up, Al. Your Heir is in danger. The person you love in this reincarnation is in danger. You have to save her."

Al slowly opened his eyes and he was dazzled by the light, but it did not stop him from recognizing a familiar face. He spoke, "Goddess Diche?"

The goddess then smiled at him softly and flew away, before she disappeared completely. Al stood up and the next thing he saw was Tenebria and she was about to kill Tamarinne.

"Finish your last line? Then die."

When Tenebria was ready to kill Tamarinne, a flash of lightning broke out from the giant eye and charged to her with high speed. Feeling a dangerous threat, Tenebria released Tamarinne and dodged it. When the lightning landed on the ground, Al caught Tamarinne before she fell down and looked at Tenebria angrily, as if he wanted to kill her once and for all.

Before Tamarinne could say anything, Tenebria quickly shot a magic ball to them. Al turned his body quickly and kicked that ball away before he released Tamarinne and charged at Tenebria. The Acolyte released her delusional shockwave but Al punched and broke it like glass.

"Hold on, Al! Everyone hasn't woken up yet!"

Despite the relief, Tamarinne did not forget the thing was happening here. When Al was attacking Tenebria, she called out for him and Al quickly realized what was happening. He then jumped back near his Heir and snapped his finger.

"R…Ras?" Vilred spoke in shock when his sword was aiming as Ras' neck.

As for Ras, he was shocked as well and realized he nearly stabbed Vildred's chest. He then asked rapidly, "Vildred? Is that you? Where's Kayron?"

Meanwhile, Iseria quickly stopped her flying swords before they pierced through the president, "Yuna?"

"Iseria? Why are we fighting?" Yuna asked. She could not believe that the monsters she kept shooting were Iseria's swords.

"Zaeon?" Karzan was surprised when he saw that the thing he kept attacking was not Tenebria, but the giant guardian.

Zaeon could not believe what was happening. His body was full of cut wounds and they were all from Yuna's guardian. He then asked with his echoed voice, "Karzan? What's happening?"

Each of them called the friend in shock but it did not take them too long to realize who was the culprit. They then looked at Tenebria angrily as if they wanted to kill her. However, she still kept her calmness, and this time, she truly summoned the Archdemon, including the giant monster everyone saw in their delusion. As for the giant eye, which Tenebria used to prison Al, it scattered to pieces afterward.


	30. Chapter 30

On a corridor inside a big building, the city lord assistant, Woodrow, was lying on the floor. When the giant eye scattered into pieces, everyone woke up from their delusion and they were quickly terrified when the monsters invaded the city. Panicking, the citizens started running out of the city but the monsters caught and slaughtered them without mercy. When Woodrow stood up and grabbed his head, he looked through the window and saw the chaos on the streets.

When the monsters were killing and devouring the citizens, Woodrow saw some familiar faces coming to the rescue. The Heir of the Covenant was riding on his guardian back, Arkasus, who was in his divine wolf form. Together, they were charging at the monsters. Ras slashed them with his sword while Arkasus summoned bolts of lightning and burned them to ashes. Together, they killed the monsters as much as possible. Looking through the window, Woodrow felt relief but he realized he should not waste more time. He quickly ran to the city lord's bedroom.

When he opened the door, he saw the city lord, Vivian, was sleeping on her bed peacefully and her face was full of happiness. Woodrow felt unbelievable that at this crucial time, Vivian still slept well. He then came and shook her shoulders very hard but she did not respond at all. Woodrow looked around and saw a big vase. Thankfully, it was full of water. He drew out all the flowers and splashed the water to Vivian's face.

Thankfully, Vivian woke up immediately. She got up and wiped her black long hair out of her face and saw the culprit. The water was very stinky and Vivian felt very annoyed and disturbed. She shouted, "What in the world are you doing?"

"We don't have time. Take a look outside," Woodrow shouted and dragged the city lord. As he expected, she was surprised as well. "Please give the order," he said.

"Okay, alright…" Vivian closed her eyes to cleanse her thoughts. When she opened her eyes, she said, "Tell the sorcerers to focus on protecting the citizens. We will escape out of the city."

"Wait, are you sure?" Woodrow was shocked by her decision.

"We're in the passive. We don't know anything about the monsters. Staying and fighting will result in disastrous casualty. If we moved out of the city right now, we still have a chance to organize and fight back. Do it now!"

Smiling in relief, Woodrow replied, "Yes, madam!"

Remembering something, Vivian asked, "Wait, do you see Kawerik?"

"Not again?" Woodrow was stunned and this time, he could not take it anymore. He said, "How many times have we tell you? That man is dead. He's gone. No matter how many times you deny his death, he is no longer in this world."

"But he was still here, with me, yesterday, after…" Vivian wanted to reject but then she stopped. She remembered what happened last night when she encountered Tenebria and her fellow. She then asked, "Where is Tenebria, and her friend, too?"

"We don't know yet, madam," Woodrow replied coldly. "Now if you excuse me," he said and left.

Back to the battle, when Ras, Mercedes, Vildred, Arkasus, Iseria, and Zaeon left to deal with the Archdemon, Yuna, Karzan, Tamarinne, and Al stayed and kept fighting Tenebria. Yuna summoned her big cannon and fired at the female Acolyte. When she dodged, Karzan charged at her and after trading a few attacks. However, Tenebria noticed something. Different than others, Tamarinne stayed behind and Al was acting as her shield and protecting her from sneaky monsters. It did not take her too long to get the reason behind.

"I think you have your attention in the wrong place," Tenebria smirked when she dodged all the attacks.

"Save your breath. We don't have anything to say with you," Iseria replied.

"I'm not stupid enough that I cannot see your weakness. Among all of you, there is one that cannot fight," Tenebria smirked.

At first, nobody understood what or who she was mentioning and kept attacking her. When Tenebria jumped back, she smiled mysteriously. Iseria and Karzan charged at her but then, she saw her eyes were looking away. Startling, they turned back and shouted, "Look out!"

From the air, a humanoid shadow figure jumped out of nowhere. It was Ravi, the girl who was Tenebria's subordinate. Wielding her big axe, she aimed at Tamarinne. Everyone was shocked and tried to warn Al but it was too late. Despite the big weapon, Ravi was very quick and when they thought it was too late, Al appeared in front of his Heir and summoned a magic seal to block the attack. But the attack broke his seal and created a large wound on his chest.

Tamarinne was stunned. She quickly caught Al as he failed down. Suddenly, Ravi stopped moving. Her eyes were lifeless and she then turned back, looking at Tenebria and charged at her.

"What are you doing?" Tenebria was surprised, as well as the others. Then, she quickly realized that the young girl was under controlled by someone else, and there was only one person besides her that was able to do so.

"Don't talk, Al! Stay with me!" Tamarinne's hands were trembling when blood bled out of Al's wound. The others then withdrew and stayed closed to them.

Although she was very annoying, Tenebria felt amusing. Then, she approached to Ravi and pointed her finger on her forehead, and woke her immediately.

"My queen? What am I…" Ravi was shocked and stuttered when she realized who she was attacking.

"Don't bother it, my little child," Tenebria comforted her and pointed at the Heirs and their guardians, "It was them who made you attacked me. Would you please kill them all, for me?"

"As you command, my queen," Ravi coldly replied before she charged at them, which made Iseria, Yuna, and Karzan had to fight with her.

As the battle went on, the Heirs realized their strength was weaker. It was due to the result of their battles with each other. As if it was not worse enough, Zaeon, the giant who was Iseria's guardian, was being hurt by the giant Archdemon. But it was not it alone, behind the giant monster who had tentacles under its mount, another giant monster appeared and attacked Zaeon as well. It had the lower body of a snake while its upper body looked like a muscular man, with a head of a combination between a male goat and a crocodile. It had two arms attached by two sharp blades that could even cut Zaeon's tough skin. When he was blocking its sharp blades, the other one attacked him with its tentacles and hit him down, creating a small earthquake.

When Tenebria was staying behind, she acted normally but she knew she had used a lot of power. Thankfully, Ravi was buying her some times and she used them to recover. Looking at Al and Tamarinne, she smiled a smile full of pride when they both were struggling with patching his wound. Suddenly, she heard a voice, or, more like a song. Someone was singing. She looked around a saw a glowing light coming from Tamarinne and Al.

As she was hugging him, Tamarinne was singing and Al was closing his eyes, and enjoying her song. It was not a normal song. It came with her own power. When she was singing, Al's wound slowly stopped bleeding and closing, until it completely vanished. Al got up and he felt stronger than before.

But he was not the only one who felt that. Iseria, Yuna, and Karzan were feeling it as well. As their wounds were slowly recovering, they attacked faster and stronger and gave Ravi a lot of troubles. Tenebria felt the disadvantage and she charged at Tamarinne but Al jumped out and attacked her. She dodged but Al was quicker. He successfully kicked her on the face and pushed her back. As he jumped on and attacked from the air, Tenebria withdrew and rushed to Ravi, before she pulled her back and called some monsters to attack them.

"Sorry for disappointing you, Tenebria. I cannot fight doesn't mean I'm useless," Tamarinne bravely spoke on and it made everyone smiled.

Although she was surprised, Tenebria did not lose her calm. She kept her smile and said, "It seems I underestimate you. I have to admit that you did make a few surprises for me. I really want to play more with you but I'm feeling sleepy right now."

When Tenebria finished, she opened a portal gate and prepared to leave. Everyone quickly charged at her but the monsters stopped them from getting close to her.

"Until next time," Tenebria mocked them the last time before she left with Ravi.

When Tenebria and Ravi disappeared, they heard a loud noise and it came from Zaeon, who was defeated by the giant monsters again. One of them used its sharp tentacles to attack Zaeon when he had not stood up yet. Fortunately, Iseria gathered all her flying sword, created a defensive green magic seal to protect her guardian but she did not have enough strength to maintain the seal. When the tentacles pierced through her seal, Zaeon quickly grabbed Iseria and turned around quickly, using his back to protect his Heir. When the snake-like monster attacked them, Vildred, Ras, Mercedes, and Arkasus quickly came for their aid. Looking at their wounds, Tamarinne did not wait too long and acted immediately. She sang another song and recovered their wounds and their stamina.

"That young girl is really something," Vildred was surprised when he heard her beautiful song and he was amazed at her power.

"Let me introduce you to our new Heir, Tamarinne," Ras half-joked and said.

"Would be great if I hear her singing in another day," Vildred smiled and his eyes looked serious again when he turned to the army of Archdemon. He then said, "Let's deal with them first."

"Arkasus?" Al then turned to the fluffy ball when acted strangely.

"He must be exhausted," Ras commented when they looked at Arkasus who were lying on Mercedes' arms.

"Arky's stomach hurts," the guardian said in pain.

"Probably because of the raw meats you ate," Mercedes said and stroke his fur.

"What about you?" Ras said when he looked at Vildred but the long black hair swordsman could only sigh tiredly. They did not even need to say to understand what the others meant.

"Ras?"

When Vivian and her people were escaping from the city, they saw the group and saw they were fighting the monsters. With the help of her and other sorcerers, they were able to push back the small monster but Zaeon, Karzan, and Al were fighting the two giant monsters and let the others took a break.

"Citylord Vivian?" Ras was surprised but he felt relief when he saw her. He said, "I'm glad that you're okay."

"I would say the same as you too. Thank you for helping my city," Vivian show her gratitude to him and his friends.

"Don't mention it, fighting Archdemon is the reason I exist. How are you doing?" Ras replied and showed his concern.

"I'm not sure of what we are fighting to so I decided to prioritize the safety of the citizen first. Then we can think about counter-attack later," Vivian answered.

Looking at how calm the sorcerers were, as well as a large number of citizens were safe, everyone was surprised at how Vivian's leadership. However, it was not the right time to stop and chat. Ras and his friends cooperated with Witchaven's sorcerers and protected the citizens. However, the Archdemon kept coming from nowhere.

Suddenly, they heard many loud bangs and explosions appeared, stunning and pushing back the monsters. When they looked behind, Aakhen's army, led by Pavel and Cerise, were coming for the rescue.

"Finally," Iseria looked Pavel and Cerise, and then she smiled. She quickly approached the Administrator of Aakhen and showed her gratitude, "Thank you for coming."

"Let's save the talk later," Cerise commented.

"Wait, is that... Al?" the young gunman looked the familiar face and spoke on surprise.

"Oh my, it's really him", Cerise looked at Al and she was speechless as well. However, both of them knew there was something need to do first.

From a far distance, a line of artillery was keeping firing at the monsters. Meanwhile, Zaeon, Karzan, and Al quickly understood the situation. In a second of losing his focus, Al was attacked by the tentacle monster. Zaeon quickly used his whole right arm to block for him, resulting in the tentacles cut off his arm. Angrily, both Karzan and Al worked together and cut off its tentacles, and then the snake-like monster charged at Zaeon, forcing Al and Karzan to split up. When Iseria ran to her guardian, Zaeon was not showing any sign of weakening. He even stood up bravely and focused his energy in front of his chest.

"Al, Karzan, get out!"

When the giant guardian shouted, both of them immediately jumped back to their Heirs, before Zeaon released a deadly blast that burned the tentacle monster. The snake-like monster dodged and tried to attack Karzan. When it raised its both arms, Karzan drew its attention in front of its while Iseria and Al landed on its both arms. When the two of them were running on its arms and slashed them to pieces before Karzan used his invisible swords and cut the head of the monster. To finish it once and for all, Iseria gathered all her flying swords and chanted a magic seal above it, before she released a giant sword and cut the monster into half.

As for the tentacle monster, after Zeaon's blast, it was still standing, however, it was weakening. While no one knew what he was intending to do, Ras looked at Vildred and they nodded together. Vildred crossed his arms again and summoned his purple demonic snakes. And then, Ras rode on one of them and charged at the monster. From behind, Zaeon focused all his strength again and released a powerful beam from his chest, and shot at the monster, burning and destroying its skin, revealing a big red ball inside it.

While riding on a demonic snake, Ras could not hold his smile. It had been a long time since he fought with Vildred together, and even though Vildred once went to the dark path, he returned from out of nowhere and stood with him again. Riding on the demonic snake of Vildred, it was a fresh experience for Ras. And when he closed to the red ball, he stabbed his sword to it. A second later, the red ball broke into pieces and Ras landed safely on the ground. The giant monster was finally defeated, the smaller monsters withdrew and disappeared in the crimson portal gate, in the victory cry of the alliance.


	31. Chapter 31

After the battle, when everyone was taking a break, the doctors were treating the wounds while the Witchaven's sorcerers cooperated with Aakhen's army to search for any monsters left, and rescued the survivors. Meanwhile, Citylord Vivian and her assistant, Woodrow started tested the city's damage. Thankfully, the city was not heavily suffered, but many people had lost their homes. Many structures and buildings became ruins.

Meanwhile, Yuna, Iseria and Karzan were bringing the speakers and placed around the temporary tents, where the doctors used them to treat the wounded. For Aakhen's people, they knew what it was, and they wondered what they intended to do with them. Meanwhile, the speakers were something new to the Witchaven people. To them, they were simply strange black boxes.

Suddenly, they heard a voice of a young girl from the speakers; she greeted everyone before she started singing. At first, the Witchaven people were very surprised but the wonderful voice softened their doubtfulness. Not only that, but her singings also made them feel comfortable and eased their pains. It did not take Cerise and Pavel too long to realize whose voice was that. When they were looking for Al, they saw him coming with Tamarinne and they let them have their time.

As for Tamarinne and Al, after setting everything up, Tamarinne started singing. At first, Al thought it would not be the right time to sing. However, he saw what she was trying to do and he fully supported her.

"Are you sure you want to sing, in this time?" Al asked before Tamarinne started.

"I'm not capable of fighting. In the battle, all I did was to let you protect me, so I think I should do something, and singing is what I can do," Tamarinne replied with her smile.

Al knew she was exaggerating with her saying. If it was not for her, they could not fight and won. Tamarinne played a big role that she did not even acknowledge. But it was not a big deal, after all. All Al could do was to support her, not because he was her guardian, but because she was his love.

When Tamarinne was singing, Vivian was curious about the idol. She came to her tent and looked at the couple. From the distance, seeing how they were happy with the other by their side, Vivian felt a small jealous of that young idol. She wished that Kawerik was still here. She really wanted to believe that he was still alive but when Yuna, Karzan, Iseria, and Ras confirmed her that the Kawerik she saw was nothing but an illusion created by Tenebria. Not only that, she successfully tricked everyone to sacrifice many people to create dark stones and brought vicious monsters to Witchaven.

"So, it was just an illusion," Vivian commented with her sad eyes. "I'm such a fool."

"It is what makes Tenebria terrify. She can create illusions to manipulate people, and trick them into her personal purpose," Ras tried to comfort the city lord, but he was not sure if it could make her feel better.

"Regardless, the damage is still under control. I think we can call it a monumental victory," Vildred added. It looked like he could understand Vivian's pain. Losing someone very important was enough to traumatize a person until the end, Vildred understood it too well. And when he looked at Iseria and Mercedes, the three of them said nothing. Vildred wanted to say sorry to them but he admitted that he did not have the right to do that.

When Iseria and Mercedes walked away and took care of the wounded, Ras came to his closet friend and asked, "So, how could you still alive?"

"It's quite a long story," Vildred smiled and the two of them walked together. He started, "After Mercedes killed me, the next thing I knew that I was floating in a thick black space. I didn't know where I was being stranded. I thought I was imprisoned and I willed to accept it.". Then they sat down near a spring. Vildred needed sometimes to think of the sin he committed. He then continued, "I killed Queen Diene, and it was enough for me to go to hell. And then, when I gave up, Goddess Diche came to me."

"Wait, really?" Ras was very surprised.

"Can't lie that I didn't have the same reaction," Vildred smiled. He then said, "Even more surprised, the first thing she said that she wanted to apologize to me, for letting me burden for too long. I could feel the honesty and sincerity in her voice. She asked me for my forgiveness and I couldn't say anything anymore. I mean, how could I blame her? She wanted to protect Orbis that even fought against the other gods. When Orbis was destroyed, she used her power to restore it, again and again, even if it meant she was defying the law of the gods. And after the seventh time, she is very weak and if Orbis is destroyed again, she won't be able to restore it. Comparing to her, what have I done? I killed a great queen and sided with the Acolyte whose purpose is only to destroy Orbis."

"I see," Ras kept silent for a while. He said, "So I was right all along. The Goddess is weakening. But I never thought it can be this worse."

"As long as you're still in Orbis, you are our only hope," Vildred slapped Ras' back. They both laughed joyfully.

"It's good that you returned," Ras commented.

"Still, I have to say that I will leave soon," Vildred said.

"Why?" Ras asked. He did not want to hear him say that.

"As I said, the Goddess is weakening. Eventually, she won't be able to protect her. It is why I vowed that I will protect her even if it costs my life," Vildred answered with his seriousness and Ras could see his commitment. Did not want to worry his friend, Vildred smiled and said, "Don't worry, whenever you're in trouble, I promise to come for you."

"Hopefully one day, we will walk together again," Ras smiled, and they both stood up.

Remembering something, Vildred said, "Maybe the next time we meet, I hope I will see you and Mercedes's child."

"What do you mean?" Ras asked with his innocent eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Vildred was shocked. "I thought you two are a couple. I mean, both of you go through hell and hell for each other, and now you're telling me you and Mercedes still have nothing?"

"Uhm, what does "couple" mean?"

Seeing Ras's strange reaction, Vildred could not help but sigh in disappointment. He commented, "Ras, you're clueless as always."

"I really appreciate it if you can help me study that," Ras replied.

"Sorry, buddy, that's not something you can learn, but you have to feel it," Vildred smiled. "Well, if you're still struggling, maybe you should ask our new guardian and his Heir. You probably can learn something from it."

"You mean, Al and Tamarinne? I asked Tamarinne but really, after her answer, I still had not understood what love is, yet," Ras replied. He did not fully understand what Vildred meant.

"Don't worry, you still have a lot of time to learn about it. Just make sure you don't make her wait for too long," Vildred kept his mysterious smile. Later, he swung his sword in the air, created a portal. They both said goodbye and Vildred disappeared afterward.

Back to Tamarinne and Al, when she was singing, she suddenly saw a spider next to her leg. She turned to Al and saw he was sleeping. After everything had happened, he must be exhausted and Tamarinne did not want to wake him up but when she looked at the spider, something popped up in her mind.

"Kyaaaa!"

Al woke up when Tamarinne screamed, it was so loud that it went through the speaker and made everyone startled. Al then asked in worry, "What's wrong?"

Tamarinne cried with her crocodile tear and pointed at her leg, "It's… a spider. Get it off, please!"

"Okay, hold still!"

"Where are you touching?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"It's running up!"

"You have to stay still or I won't be able to get rid of it."

"Hey, watch your hand!"

"What the heck are they doing?" Outside the tent, Pavel wondered while everyone laughed joyfully.

Later, after the performance, leaning on each other and on a tree, Al and Tamarinne were enjoying their reunion. They did not need to do or say anything and stayed by each other side quietly was enough to fill their happiness. Although she heard it from the others, Tamarinne wanted to know more about Al's true identity. She asked, and he answered.

"My real name is Minos, and I'm the guardian of delusion, who can manipulate people's minds," he said.

"Like, you make people see what you want to see, just like Tenebria?" she asked.

"True, but I can be that delusion as well. Like, if a person has someone they trust, I can be that person and persuade them to do what I want them to. Or, I can create a whole fake situation and the target doesn't even realize it," he explained more.

Tamarinne nodded, then she asked, "So, how do a guardian choose his or her Heirs?"

"Most of the time, it is fate. When a new Heir is born, their guardian will feel their presence and come to them, waiting for the day they will reveal themselves to their Heir. But there are some exceptions, like Ras and Arkasus. Both of them have a strong connection since they have been fighting together for a long time. And if a guardian develops a powerful bond with a person, that person will become an Heir, too."

When Al explained and looked at her, Tamarinne understood why she became an Heir. She could not help but smile in happiness.

As they were discussing, Pavel and Cerise came to them. Obviously, both of them were surprised that Al was still alive and Al did not know what he should say to them. When the three of them looked at each other awkwardly, Tamarinne asked, "What's wrong?"

"How can you be still alive?" Pavel started, "And if you are, why don't you say anything to us?"

"Well, it's complicated," Al replied and he knew both of them wanted to know the answer. He then retold them the reason he was alive. They thought he was killed in the battle with the gluttony beast, Gula, in Aakhen. Then Al told that he was a guardian and after he knew his true identity, he was not sure how to explain to them so he left Aakhen.

"So, that's it, huh?" Pavel seemed to be angry at Al.

"You could just tell us. Do you know how sad we were when we thought you died?" Cerise followed Pavel.

"Al, that's not okay at all," Tamarinne went with them.

Having nothing to defend himself, Al had to apologize to them, "I'm very sorry."

But it seemed the three of them did not want to take his apology so easily. Tamarinne then stood next to Cerise and said, "He's all yours."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Before Al could say anything, Pavel released the green fire wolf from his gun, let it chase Al while shooting at him non-stop. As Al was running and dodging, Cerise was waiting for the perfect time, until she raised an ice wall behind Al. While dodging, Al did not notice Cerise's chanting and his head hit the ice wall, knocking him down instantly.

When Al opened his eyes, he saw an angry crowd in front of him. Including Pavel and Cerise, there were around 20 guys who were looking at him as if they wanted to roast him. He realized their face. They were the soldiers who were all friends of his. They tied and covered Al in full rope, leaving only his foot, neck, and head. Not only that, but they were also hanging him upside down.

"Want to say something?" Pavel stared at his stupid friend.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Al apologized, but it seemed they would not swallow it. Sighing, he said, "Ok, drinks on me tonight."

And that was the moment the crowd getting noise. The soldiers raised their hands in joy. They left afterward but Pavel and Cerise stayed behind.

"Still, I can never imagine that you are a divine being," Cerise looked at Al and commented.

"Not quite. Literally, I guess," Al replied. "I'm not immortal like other guardians. My lifespan is as much as yours."

"What makes your different between other guardians?" Pavel was curious.

"Well, it's a long story," Al responded and that time Tamarinne returned to him. Somehow, she really enjoyed looking at him being hang upside down. Then, he spoke, "It happened many years ago, hundreds of years, I would say. Maybe you don't know but Orbis has been destroyed and restored six times, and the Orbis we are living in right now is the seventh world, and it is the Goddess Diche who created and has been protected Orbis from since. Among all the divine guardians, I was the youngest one. The Goddess created me in the sixth world. Back in that time, I fell in love with a mortal woman, who was my very first Heir, and before the war, she was killed by Tenebria's monsters..."

Suddenly, Al looked very sad when he had to remember that time. The pain from his eyes was enough for them to trust him without a doubt.

"So… when the Goddess Diche created and restored Orbis many times, did she violate the rules created by the gods?" Cerise asked.

"Of course. To create a new world, other gods must discuss and allow it. When she did that, the other gods created Archdemon to destroy Orbis, and it is us, Heirs and Guardians are chosen to lead all lives in Orbis and fight together to protect it," Al answered and he did not need to tell them more.

"It must have been tough for all of them, especially the guardians, when they have to see their Heirs die in every world, again and again," Cerise commented and looked at Al sadly. "You are the same as them, right?"

"Not quite. As I said, I have the same lifespan as yours, and I will die one day or another. In fact, I was supposed to die in the sixth world. It was the Goddess that helped me. Another thing is whenever I die and reincarnate, I can keep my power but if I want to unseal it, the other guardians have to awake me first."

"So…" Tamarinne thought of something and she asked, "Do you remember your previous life, like… everyone you met and your first Heir?"

There was a hidden message in Tamarinne's question and she just wanted to make sure. When Tenebria said that every Heirs of Al was his lover in the sixth world, Tamarinne could not help but feel a little jealous.

"Yes, and I really don't want to forget her," Al answered.

"Why?" Tamarinne asked in surprise.

"It was her who taught me how to love and how to live as a human, well, more like, how to enjoy life the best, aside from missions and duties. To me, she was very important. She was the one that taught me that no matter what happened and if things went out of our expectations, we should move on instead of clinging to the past. She even said that one day if she died, I had to forget her and kept moving to the future. I know it would be not right with other Heirs but…," Al stopped and closed his eyes. He could still see her smile and what she taught him, and how she changed her life. Suddenly, he somehow felt Tamarinne was very like her. He realized that they both share the same name, literally. He just kept looking at her as if he wanted to find out the difference between them.

As Al looked at her strangely, Tamarinne wondered why he did so. But he just smiled, and it was enough for her. "Alright, that's enough negative emotions for today," Tamarinne clapped her hand rapidly. She did not want to let them have any more sadness, and she wanted Al to be happy, and she would do anything she could. She then reminded them, "You still have a drink tonight so why don't you two go ahead?"

"Oh, that's right," Pavel nodded. He then looked at Tamarinne and asked, "Do you join us?"

"Well…" Tamarinne put her hands and crossed her fingers behind her back, and embarrassingly replied, "… After the battle, I felt quite tired so I think I will come later. But don't worry about me, you all should have fun together.". Then, Tamarinne turned to Al and smiled mysteriously, "And make sure Al pay for what he did to you."

"Oh, we'll guarantee you that," Pavel commented and he seemed very excited when Al stared at him. Pavel then said to Tamarinne, "You don't have to join us if you're tired. It's really nice to hear you sing again."

"Thank you," Tamarinne replied.

"Sorry, but I won't join the party tonight. I have some paperwork to do with Iseria and city lord Vivian," Cerise replied and showed that she really wanted to take part in with them but she could not. She then looked at Pavel, smiling, and reminded him, "Don't return late, okay?"

"I know. See you later," Pavel nodded and they both left.

"Wait, what about me?" Al looked at the three of them and tried to move his body but they tied him too tightly that he could not release him from the rope. Seeing Tamarinne was smiling joyfully, he asked, "Can you pretty please let me out?"

"No, you have to take your punishment for hiding them for too long," Tamarinne replied.

"But I told I'm sorry," he said.

"Well, it's not enough," she turned away.

"Come on, please let me down," Al shook his body stronger and Tamarinne could not hold her laugh.

Tamarinne then sat down and placed her chin on her palms, and said, "Be quiet, I've just discovered a new worm."

"Which one?" Al wondered.

"Catworm," she smiled.

"What kind of…" Al replied and stopped in the middle of the sentence, and when he realized, he shook his body stronger from left to right and moved his upper body up and down, and pretentiously to be annoyed, "Come on, it's not funny. Please untie me."


	32. Chapter 32

After laughing enough, Tamarinne decided to untie him. However, when she was figuring out how to get him down, a giant shadow appeared from behind. Tamarinne was surprised to see the giant guardian but Al was not. Although Zaeon's face did not deliver any expression, Al could feel he was enjoying the scene. He looked at the lost right arm and felt thankful that he protected him. Using his sharp finger, Zaeon cut the rope and Al fell down afterward.

"It's good to see you again," Al greeted him when he got up and was united by Tamarinne.

"Me too. I'm glad you're doing well," Zaeon replied. The way he spoke with Al was very gentle and it made Tamarinne curious.

"Do you know each other?" Tamarinne asked.

"Actually, Zaeon is my father," Al replied and it surprised her.

"It is not really like that," Zaeon added.

"Once a father, last to the end," Al smiled and Zaeon knew he could only smile back.

"So, can I ask what happen?" Tamarinne asked curiously.

"Actually, when the Goddess created, her power was weakening, so she couldn't create me without help from other guardians. To create a guardian, she must use the purest energy from the universe. That was how she created Orbis from her husband's body, too. Like I said, after six times recreating Orbis, she couldn't have enough power to create new guardians, so she sought help but the time was crucial as the war with the Archdemon was about to happen. The Goddess needed a lot of said energy and it would take maybe a few decades to restore, so the other guardians hesitated, except Zaeon," he explained.

"Although the war was about to happen, having a new guardian which was specialized to some "specific" enemy would bring more help. So far, Minos... no, Al, is the only one who can deal with Tenebria's ability," Zaeon added.

"I understand," she got the idea and smiled at the giant guardian.

"But... in the end, I failed all of them," Al said in sadness.

"You don't have to feel guilty about it. Although I don't understand human emotions, I still feel it will better if you don't follow our steps. Normally, we don't hold feelings for our Heir, because one day, we will be apart. But Al's Heir taught us that we should value them instead of neglecting it. "Having feelings means we are alive", she said. And I can't forget those words. And I must say: You really have amazing Heirs, from both times," Zaeon comforted Al. "Thank you for being his Heir, Miss Tamarinne," he continued with his soft voice.

"Please just call me Tamarinne," the young idol smiled and responded politely.

"But because Al doesn't have our immortal, so I didn't want him to fight but later, the Goddess persuaded me and I had to agree with her, but only if we needed him. Sometimes, there are enemies that can create illusions like Tenebria and his power is very useful against them," Zaeon said.

"I see," Tamarinne looked at both of them with her worrying eyes. Then, they did not say anything. Tamarinne then leaned on Al and grabbed his hand.

"Al, make sure you treat her well," Zaeon then spoke on and looked at them

"I'll do my best," Al nodded.

"Don't use the future tense to me. It sounds inappropriate and I don't think your Heir will feel secure with it," Zaeon suddenly changed his attitude and laughed at them both.

"I'm okay with that," Tamarinne smiled.

"Okay, okay," Al looked at Tamarinne. He took a deep breath and said, "I hope that I won't disappoint you,"

"Doesn't sound better to me," Zaeon placed his left hand on his left hip and commented.

"That's okay. I know he will never do it," Tamarinne replied and they both laughed joyfully. When they were chatting, Tamarinne suddenly fell asleep and leaned her head on Al's shoulder.

"It was a rough day, after all," Zaeon said. He could feel that Tamarinne was very happy when she was with him, and Al felt the same.

Al then carried her carefully. Before he took her back to the flying ship, he said goodbye to Zaeon.

When the clock pointed at nine, Tamarinne woke up and she startled as she looked at the clock. She quickly got up. When she opened her room door and passed the canteen, she saw Yuna, Iseria, and Cerise were sitting and chatting together.

"Oh, you awoke," Yuna said.

"Sorry, I slept too much," Tamarinne apologized.

"No rush here. We can come to the party whenever we want. Since we're all here, let's go."

When Cerise spoke, the four of them left the flying ship. On their way, Yuna introduced to Cerise many things from Ritania. The more the president told her, the more curious Cerise was.

"Actually, I thought of coming to Reingar one day, after Aakhen has done rebuilding," Cerise smiled. "Thanks to the machines and resources from Ritania, we are able to rebuild many sections in a short time."

"Glad that things are doing well," Yuna replied. "When you come to Reingar, I promise I will guide you around."

"Thank you," Cerise nodded.

The tavern, which was holding the party, was designed and built on a big tree and had some medieval details on its walls and balconies. This place seemed to open overnight as the light still brightened the street from the windows. And when the four girls opened the tavern's door, they were shocked at what they were witnessing.

On a wooden table, Pavel was holding two big cups of alcohol and performing a dance in the cheers of other soldiers. The young gunman was totally drunk without recognizing anything. Meanwhile, Al was playing rock, paper, and scissors with others and the one who lost had to drink a massive size cup of alcohol. One other thing, the group was fully naked, as there was no piece of clothes on them.

When four girls looked at the party, they were totally shocked and stunned. While Iseria did not know what to say or how to react, Tamarinne was very surprised when she looked at Al. She had never seen him was this joyfulness before, which made her smile. Meanwhile, Yuna did not forget to use her smartphone and took many pictures of the party.

Suddenly, the group felt frozen from the air. When they looked at the front door, they knew they were screwed up big times. The party was stopped and the men looked at the angry "lioness" named Cerise. Without saying anything, they were pulling out of the tavern like the bees escaped from the destroyed nest. But Cerise was faster than them. She threw ice balls and knocked them down one by one in the cheers of the other three.

The next morning, next to a big tree outside of Witchaven, Pavel was being tied and hanged on it. On the ground, the administrator of Aakhen, Cerise were watching a group of soldiers, who were participating in the party last night. Taking orders from the administrator, the soldiers had to run around Witchaven until she told them to stop. But that would be a long time before it.

"Cerise, can I…" Being hanged on the tree, Pavel wanted to speak with her but when she stared at him with her angry eyes, he shut his mouth immediately.

"I can't believe you went all out. I told you not to cross the line," Cerise raised her voice over him.

Meanwhile, from a near distance, Tamarinne was sitting on Al's back and he had to do a push-up as a punishment.

"Somehow, I'm amazed that you aren't drunk. How much did you drink?" Tamarinne looked at Al and asked. Among all the participants, he was the one who did not have any hangover.

"I don't remember," Al replied while doing a push-up. Then he said, "Maybe around 20 cups, I guess. By the way, how many times do I have to do before you forgive me?"

"Until I feel enough," Tamarinne bloated her face, but she was pretending all along. She continued, "I had to agree with Cerise. You all were over drinking and you have to take your punishment as the same as the other."

Even though Tamarinne displayed that she was very annoyed and displeased with Al, she did not hold any anger towards him. Back at the party, she was very surprised. It was the first time she even saw Al being so free and joyful, more than anything back in Reingar. Regardless, the punishment was needed, and she was really enjoying sitting on his back, while Al seemed not to mind it at all.

"Keep going, you have done it 70 times," Tamarinne was counting and kept encouraging him. When the soldiers passed by, nobody understood if it was a punishment or they were simply playing. As for Cerise and Pavel, they were glad that Tamarinne could heal his pain.

Later, Tamarinne got up from Al's back and he immediately lied down on the ground and pretended that he was very tired. He stretched out his tongue and breathed short and long when Tamarinne could only smile with the ridiculous actions he made. She then gave him a bottle of water and shared it with him. When they were sitting down together, the man in green, who had short light brown hair and wore a pair of glasses, stepped close to them.

"Excuse me," the man spoke politely, "Are you Heir Tamarinne and Guardian Al? My name is Woodrow and if possible, could you please help me?"

When the man asked, both of them were surprised but without thinking too long, Tamarinne replied, "Please tell us what we can help."

"Before that…" Woodrow then looked at Al. From the first look, he could not believe this young man was a divine guardian. He looked nothing different from a normal person. Regardless, he was not here to question his identity. He then asked, "Are you really a guardian who can control delusion?"

"Depend on what you meaning of "delusion"," Al replied in doubt, "it could be an illusion or hallucination. Each of them has its own meaning so I need you to contemplate what you are looking for."

Woodrow showed his surprise but Al had a point. He then paused and considered what he was asking for their help. Both Al and Tamarinne gave him some time. After that, Woodrow determinedly spoke, "Actually, I am the assistant of the city lord, Vivian. Recently, she was diving into an illusion created by a woman named Tenebria. Do you know her?"

"Yes, we do," Tamarinne nodded.

"Here's the story. When a war carried on by Straze and his subordinate in the first few months of this year, the city lord lost an important person of hers. His name was Kawerik. He was very closed to her and they developed their love for each other. Unfortunately, Kawerik sacrificed in the war while protecting Witchaven. From that day, the city lord has always dreamt about him. She always wishes that he is still here and keeps blaming herself for not being able to save him."

"I see," Al replied weakly. Vivian was just another person who suffered from love and they all felt sorry for her. He then asked, "So what do you want me to do?"

"If possible, can you somehow, please delete the memory of Kawerik in her mind? Or some other way that makes her forget the man?" Woodrow responded. Although he was asking for something unusual, they could tell the honesty and sadness in his eyes. The city lord must be very important to him and he would do anything for her best.

"Deleting her memory will cause some conflicts in her mind, which can end up badly. And even if I delete the man in her memory, there is always a part of her body still remembers that man. You cannot completely delete something in people's memory that easily," Al replied.

"Then maybe you can think of something to help her? I really don't want to see her being sad forever. I know that eventually, people will forget the pain and move on, but sometimes, they will hold it until the end. Of course, what I said is only my theory, but it doesn't mean it can't happen. So please, help her, and I promise I'll do what I can to pay you," Woodrow spoke determinedly.

It was not about the payment, and never would be. Both Al and Tamarinne knew how hard to change a person's mind. Seeing how loyal and honest Woodrow was, they wanted to help him but they were not sure if it would work or not. As for Al, he could manipulate people's minds but it was not easy as it sounded. One wrong step and he would make that person suffer forever. As for Tamarinne, Al's power was something completely new to her so she could not recommend whether Al should help Woodrow.

After long thinking, Al replied, "I can't promise you but… I'll see what I can do."

Hearing the answer, Woodrow was very glad. He had high hope for them. It seemed he overestimated Al's power. He said goodbye to them before he left.

When Woodrow left, Tamarinne looked at Al and asked, "So, do you think we can help the city lord?"

"I'm not sure," Al shook his head. He seemed to be sorry for the city lord. She lost her loved one, and she had not accepted his death yet. They were similar at some point and Al wanted to help her. He then said, "Like I said, in order to change or delete some memories, I have to create and remove some parts of it. The most important thing is if I want to protect them from memory conflict, I have to create and rearrange their memories. Let's take an example here. Right now, we are talking, right?"

Al asked, and Tamarinne nodded. He continued, "So, imagine if you see this scene we are talking to each other like this, and then I remove myself from your memory. What will happen next?"

Tamarinne tried her best to imagine and linked what he taught her. After thinking for quite a long time, she answered, "It's obvious that I will still be here, however, I will ask myself why I come here. Then if I remember I am talking to someone, I have to think of…. Ah, I get it."

"That's right. You're amazing," Al was very surprised that Tamarinne was quick-learning, and he could not help but praising her, which made her smiled embarrassingly and joyfully. He then continued, "If I do it right, they will never remember that memory. However, it is still easier said than done. I can also create delusions but you already know the outcome."

"I understand," Tamarinne nodded. Suddenly, something popped up in her head. She then asked, "Say, when you create a delusion for a person, is it like what Tenebria can do? If I remember right, she can let people see what they want to see."

"Yeah?" Al wondered what she wanted to say.

"So, can you possibly be that delusion?" she asked.

"Uhm… I'm not sure if I can understand your point?" Al replied.

"What I want to say is, can you be the man who the city lord loves, or create a delusion of that man and control him? In that way, maybe you can persuade her."

"Ah, I see what you mean," Al touched his fingers on his chin. What Tamarinne said was right, and it was something he could do. After reconsidering, he looked at her and said, "To be honest, I barely do anything like that before. You know, when something is so precious to a person, it is very hard to persuade them to forget it. Most of the time, I do the opposite. I control the delusion, let them see what they want to see, and then I use that delusion to manipulate them. Like, if a warmonger wants to raise a war, I let him see he successfully wins that war and from that, I can slowly destroy his sanity, by making him not realize what is real and what is a dream. But to persuade a person to forget something, it's a tough job and if I'm not careful, I can damage their mind."

"If it's that dangerous, then I think we should work it out with Mr. Woodrow. It's always better safe than sorry," Tamarinne replied. The more Al explained his ability, the more she realized the risk. But deep inside, she still wanted to help Vivian.

Inside a big white tent, a temporary meeting was being held. Sitting around on the ground, Vivian, Cerise, and Iseria were looking at some reports handed to them. Standing next Vivian was her assistant, Woodrow.

"Woodrow, can you please give us a brief about the damage?" Vivian looked at her assistant.

"Apparently, after the battle, it is estimated at least 300 dead and missing, 2000 wounded," Woodrow looked at a paper in his hand and answer.

"We can call it a minor loss. It was very lucky that we could respond in time," Iseria said when she received the paper Woodrow gave her. After checking it, she looked at Woodrow and asked, "Do we have the number of people, who were supposed to be killed by Tenebria?"

"It is around 500, madam," Woodrow answered sadly.

"It was my fault," Vivian squeezed her hands. Her voice was trembling and full of regrets. "If I hadn't been this stupid, maybe I could have saved them. I'm sorry, Woodrow."

"Please don't blame yourself. I understand that how important Kawerik to you. I couldn't say I would do it better if I were in your place. So please, don't take all the responsibility on your shoulder," Woodrow showed his honest concern to his city lord, which made Iseria and Cerise smiled.

"She's right. One more thing, we have to investigate those helped her, too," Cerise suggested.

"That would be those who aren't satisfied with the fact that I am the city lord. They don't show it outside doesn't mean they accept me," Vivian bowed her head a little, hiding her worrying. She then asked Woodrow, "Have we caught any of them yet?"

"We already did but some of them already made their escape. Although we can assume that they won't do anything for a while, we have to stay on our guard," he suggested.

Vivian nodded after hearing what he said. She then looked at Iseria and Cerise and said, "That's all for today. I sincerely thank you for coming to our aid."

When the meeting ended, later, that night, Vivian returned to her bedroom. She took off her clothes and wore a simple one. When she lied down on the bed, she looked at the window. The light of the moon brightened her bedroom, created a stunning scene but Vivian could not enjoy it. The silence of the night was supporting the sorrow in her heart. She wished that it was not a dream at all. Kawerik was still there, somewhere, waiting for their reunion. And then, she fell asleep.

Later, she woke up in the middle of the night. She then felt a familiar presence. He was sitting there, on a wooden chair next to the window, looking at her. She wondered if Tenebria had returned a give her another hallucination. But if it was not her work, she wished she would stay in this dream for a little longer, to see him and to talk to him again.

However, when Kawerik was sitting there, he seemed very upset. A light breeze blew his white coat when he closed his eyes and turned away.

"What's wrong?" Vivian got up and asked. "Why are you looking so trouble?"

Kawerik stayed quiet. He kept closing his eyes, caught a breath before he opened them, and said, "I'm very disappointed in you, Vivian."

"What do you mean?" Vivian wondered.

"You lose your guard so easily. You couldn't even distinguish what was real and what was not. And what was the price for that? Many people died, and you had your hands on it," Kawerik answered with his serious voice.

"I thought it was real, that you are still here, with me," Vivian shouted, and then she lowered her voice when her tears rolled on her face. "Do you really know how much I miss you? Tell me, why did you leave me?"

"I committed so much crime and death were my redemption. You must know that whatever messed up things they put inside me, it drained my life and I could not live long. When I said goodbye to you, I reached my limit and the last thing I wanted to see was your smile. I wanted to believe that without me, you still would overcome it easily and moved on and lived a happy life. But you couldn't," Kawerik coldly replied. Then he softened his voice and said, "I love you, Vivian, and I don't want to see you suffer."

"Then stay with me. I don't want you to leave me again," Vivian insisted.

"Vivian, the dead can't walk again and if they can, do you think that it can be called "living"? You have to let the past behind and keep moving forward. What happened between me and you belong to the past. If you keep clinging to it, you will never move on and only suffer from that past. Do you think I want to see you like this?" Kawerik showed his determination yet his concern for his love.

"But I…" Vivian could not find any words to reply.

"What happened already happened. You cannot change the past. I want to make you happy but I can't, so I hope to see you will keep smiling until the end."

When Kawerik finished his line, Vivian paused and thought of their memory.

"How long do you want to deny the truth?" Kawerik asked.

Vivian could not answer. She looked away as she wanted to dodge the question. She did not want to admit it was the truth, but the truth was always cruel, whether or not she wanted to admit it.

"Tell me, was it hard to forget me?" Kawerik asked another question.

"Yes," she replied, weak and hopeless.

"And why?" he stood up and came closed to her.

Vivian looked at him with her tears, "Because… you are everything to me."

"If so, can you please hear my last request?" he asked another question.

"Yeah?" she wondered when she looked at him.

"Please move on, for me. In that way, I will always know that you are doing fine, and I will wait for you in the next life," he slowly sat next to her and stroked her long black hair.

Vivian looked at his eyes. The moment he touched his hand on her face, it was real. She could feel the warmth from it when he wiped out her tears.

"I'm not the only man you see in your entire life. Maybe someday, somewhere, you will find a man who will soothe your pain and bring happiness to you. But if you still think about me, then know that I will always watch over you. And like I said, I want to see your smile."

When Kawerik comforted her, he touched his forehead to hers and smiled. Vivian could think of nothing else than enjoying her moment with him, and she knew that it would be their last one.

"If we have to say goodbye, then can you hear my last request?" Vivian asked when she touched his face.

"Anything for you," he nodded.

"Stay with me, tonight. One last time."

Outside the bedroom, Tamarinne and Al were standing there. After giving Vivian the delusion, Al pulled them back to normal. Vivian was still sleeping on her bed but her face looked happy and she was smiling peacefully.

Closing the door, Al and Tamarinne quietly left the bedroom. "Well, from now on, it will depend on her," Al commented

"It was tough, though," Tamarinne grabbed his arm as they were walking. "It is never easy to persuade a person."

"Still, her love for that guy was very respectful. No doubt it will take a long time for her to heal," he said.

As Al finished, Tamarinne looked at him, and something bothered her thought. She still remembered that he said that he could not forget his first Heir. However, she could not be selfish but it also made her respect him more than that woman was no longer here. She stopped caring about how many times he loved. At that moment, she only knew how important they were to each other.

Tamarinne then released his arm, and it left Al to wonder what was wrong. She took a few steps back and placed one hand on her chest. When she smiled, Al was stunned again when the moonlight brightened her beauty.

"I promise…" Tamarinne said in determination, "… that I will live long. I will live a long life and I will never let you alone."

Al was surprised and speechless. And he promised himself that he would do anything for her. "Thank you," he smiled back and extended his hand.

Tamarinne ignored his hand and rushed to hug him. As he hugged her back, they both cared nothing else. And as they stepped into a new page of their lives, they knew that no matter what happened, life would always go on the future would always come, and time would never stop, and all of them would never stop them from loving each other.


	33. Chapter 33

Two days later, Vivian, Iseria, Yuna and Cerise had a final meeting.

"On behalf of Witchaven, I sincerely want to thank Aakhen, Ezera, and Reingar's support," Vivian bowed her head slightly.

"Please don't be so formal to us. I'm glad that we were able to help," Cerise replied and the citylord smiled afterward. Then, Cerise continued, "As we discussed, the Aakhen's troops will station in Witchaven in the next two months. If any of them misbehaving, please inform to the citylord Furious straightly."

"Thank you, I'll remember it," Vivian nodded, then she turned to Iseria and Yuna, "It's kind of boring that we are not talking longer. I hope that we will have a friendly chat another day."

"We hope so," Yuna smiled.

"When everything is stable, I would like to introduce you Ezera and Reingar," Iseria offered.

"Oh, I'd love to," Vivian showed her interest and curious, before she said goodbye to the three of them, "I'll looking forward to the day we meet again."

Later, after arranging Aakhen's army, Cerise and Pavel came to the flying ship in the surprise of Al.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Pavel questioned Al.

"Ah, I forgot to say," Cerise understood his incomprehension. She then explained, "Actually, I told my father about coming to Reingar to study and he agreed. I decided to go there the last week but we received a letter about a possible battle in Witchavan, which asked for our help, and you know the rest."

"So, how did citylord Furious believe that?" Al asked.

"Sir Crozet, the Knight Commander of the Order of the Shield in Ezera, delivered the letter with King Aither's mark. We also had a guarantee letter from Sir Charles as well," Cerise replied.

"Oh, I see," Al nodded. When he turned around, he saw Iseria. It looked like she would not board the ship with them. He then came to her and asked, "Don't you go with us?"

"Ah, I forgot," Iseria remembered something. She then replied to him, "You know that Ezera's troops are station in Perland, right? It is the time for them to come back. I was appointed by Sir Charles to take charge of the withdraw."

"I see," Al understood what she was saying. Then he said goodbye to her, "Well then, see you later."

Later, the flying ship floated in the air with the surprised eyes from the people on the ground. The citylord, Vivian and her assistant, along with Aakhen's soldiers, waved their hands to say goodbye to the people on board. When the ship was flying, Cerise could not hold her excitement when she explored the ship, and she acted like a child when she looked down the landscape below.

"It's so amazing," Cerise screamed excitedly.

"It was Al's first reaction when he was on it the first time," Tamarinne said and she smiled with Al.

Looking at them, Cerise was glad for Al as how comfortable when they were be with each other. She replied, "I can see why. Al, you're so mean when you don't share with us about this."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sorry, okay," Al pretended to be annoyed but then he looked around and asked, "Where's Pavel?"

"Apparently he got a motion sickness so the doctor is taking care of him," Cerise felt sad that she could not share this moment with him. Then, she looked at Al with her worrying eyes. She spoke, "Tamarinne, if you don't mind, can I have a moment with Al?"

"Of course," Tamarinne was a bit of surprise when she heard the request but she did not mind much. She then replied, "I'll see you later."

After Tamarinne had left, Al asked, "So, what do you want to tell me?"

"First, I'm very glad that you're okay. Pavel feels the same, too," Cerise smiled as they started their conversation. Then she asked, "Have you still heard things about Elena?"

"So far, "they" are doing good," Al replied.

Seeing his normal reaction, Cerise wondered if he had fully recovered. She then said, "As you already know, the doctor named Ray, Elena's boyfriend, comes from a noble family, the Damus family, to be specific. Ray left his family because he didn't want to be seen as a doll in his father's hands. He wanted to choose his own path even if it meant he would be expelled from his family. However, when his father got wind about his and Elena's relationship, he was pushing a marriage proposal between them. If nothing interrupts, the marriage will likely be held in the next spring."

"Well, that's a good thing, for both of them," Al commented. From his answer, Cerise could not read his emotion at all. Al then continued, "One is a kind-hearted doctor from a noble family, and one is an elegant High Priestess of Constella. Can't think of a perfect couple better than them.

The way he spoke was very cold and emotionless, which made Cerise even more worried about him but she did not know what to say to him. "Al…" she struggled.

"Thank you for worrying about me but, I'm okay," Al replied as he knew how much Cerise cared for him. He smiled and said, "Besides, if you keep bring this up, even though Tamarinne won't say anything, it still bothers her."

"I see," Cerise smiled back.

"But still, I cannot lie that I'm kind of scare, about us," Al looked at the air and spoke.

"What do you mean?" Cerise wondered.

"I'm scare that I only see Tamarinne as a replacement," Al replied.

"Ah, I understand," Cerise realized his feelings. She then comforted him, "People often say the first love is the most painful love, but if you keep it in your heart forever, you will only end up suffering from it."

"I know, that's why I'm trying not to make Tamarinne sad. She is… my world, you know, a special person that I can never let go. However, it doesn't make me less scared to the fact that I will hurt her some days," Al said.

Looking at Al, Cerise could feel the honesty from his voice. She then smiled and softly said, "You know what my father often talks to me? He said that I should try everything I can and regret, instead of regretting of doing nothing. When you think you cannot, it likely means you will never be able to do it."

"Yeah, he got a point," Al laughed and Cerise smiled with him. He then looked at her and said, "Thank you."

"Don't mind it. We're friends, after all," Cerise replied.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Al suggested and Cerise was happy to follow him. But before that, they visited Pavel, who was lying on bed exhaustedly. Seeing how bad state he was, Cerise decided to hold back her exploration and took care of him.

On the edge of the south of Ritania continent was a desert, named Savara. Different than the peaceful weather of Reingar, Savara impressed its guest by the heat of its own desert. After one week, the Reingar flying ship landed on the harbor of the biggest city of Savara, Ki Ruburan. On the ground, there were many houses built from brick, and their color blended with the desert's sand. Some of them had stalls in front of the door. When the ship landed, all the members of the flying ship could feel the heat from the desert.

"It's really hot," Pavel commented when he stepped out of the ship with Cerise.

"You're right. So make sure to drink enough water, okay?" she gently reminded him and he nodded. Then she looked around and asked, "Where's Al, and Tamarinne?"

"They were the first one left the ship but I'm sure we don't have to worry about them," Yuna smiled at them and the two of them quickly got the idea.

"Welcome to Ki Ruburan, President Yuna."

When Yuna had left the ship, a male elf came to him. He looked tall , his skin was tanned and he was wielding a staff, whose head made Yuna think of the holy cross symbol from ancient Egypt on Earth. From his black coat, Yuna wondered why it looked like he was walking out from the ancient time of Egypt, but he still had some modern details on him, such as the white long pants he was wearing.

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Basar," Yuna greeted him before she introduced him to Cerise and Pavel. "Please allow to introduce you, this is Ms. Cerise and Mrs. Pavel from Aakhen City."

"Nice to meet you," Basar politely greeted the new guests. "I hope you will have a good time in Ki Ruburan. However, just like every city, I want to warn you not to wander around shady places or talk to suspicious individuals."

"We thank you for your generosity," Cerise replied. It did not take them a single second to get what he meant.

As the four of them walked together, Cerise was surprised at how lively the city was, despite the harsh weather. However, both she and Pavel were even more surprised when they looked at some devilish statues in the city. Some stalls even had pumpkins which were sculptured to have an evil face on them.

Worrying, Cerise asked when she looked at a statue, "Mr. Basar, is this city often being attacked by monsters?"

"Oh?" Basar was surprised with the question. Then he quickly got the idea. He laughed and explained, "Please don't be so cautious. It's just that we have a festival held by tonight. It's called Halloween, a night of the saints. But we often call it a night of the dead."

"Can you please tell me more?" Cerise was very interested in the festival and the worrying disappeared within a second.

Basar smiled at her gently and explained, "Basically, it is an annual festival that we hold to memorize those who died and sacrificed. In the night, we will march around the city and everyone can disguise them as many ways as they want. Also, the children can ask for candies or cookies. Oh, before that, they have to say "trick-or-treat"."

"It sounds amusing," Cerise was even more interested and curious as Basar explained.

Suddenly, Pavel saw two familiar faces near a fountain. He asked, "Wait, is that Al and Tamarinne?"

Fifteen minutes earlier, Tamarinne and Al was having a walk. As the same as before, Al was very curious about the festival, and Tamarinne did not bother to explain to him. However, at some point, Al felt dizzy and they stopped at a fountain. When Tamarinne was looking for something cool, Al put his legs inside the fountain. Some children nearby felt something wrong and they splatted the fountain's water on him. When Tamarinne came back, she knew what was happening. When the two of them met Basar and the others, Al's head was being placed on Tamarinne's laps and they both were sitting under a shady tree.

"A heat shock. He just needs to rest and drink water," Cerise said when everyone checked on him and Tamarinne could finally breathe in relief.

"Wait, I know him," Basar realized the young Suin. "Back in Aakhen, I was impressed that he won Cartuja, a big Suin, in a drunk fight," Basar explained.

"Ah, so he was the main character of the alcohol sucking barrel rumor," Pavel remembered. "I heard of a drunk fight where two persons drank alcohol from cups to cups. The amount of consumed alcohol was very massive."

"Actually, they were drinking beer, a lighter drink than alcohol. Still, I've never thought of a person who can win Cartuja in a drunk fight," Basar added but they decided to ignore the fight and took care of Al instead.

At night, Al woke up in a luxury room. The wall was built from brick and the room was brightened by an expensive oil lamp on a small wooden table next to the soft bed he was laying on. However, the first thing he saw was Tamarinne's face.

"Thank god, you finally awoke," Tamarinne breathed in relief.

"Where are we?" Al got up and asked.

Tamarinne gave him a bowl of soup, then she answered, "It is a private house of the merchant named Basar. He is a friend of Iseria. When you were unconscious, he brought us here."

"That's a familiar name," Al tried to remember if he heard his name before but it was useless. Suddenly, they heard noises from outside.

"This! Is! Awesome!"

Cerise shouted in excitement when she saw the march with Pavel, Yuna, and Basar. At that moment, they were on the street. The citizens were disguised in many types, from witches, sorcerers, to monsters. In the center of the march, there was a big fake skeleton statue and people were keeping it upright. From the head to the end of the march, there were many big and colorful balloons were floating on the air. The march went around the city with drums banging non-stop.

"I'm glad you like it," Basar commented when he looked at how excited Cerise was. Meanwhile, Yuna was taking pictures with her smartphones.

"I wonder if Al can be with us," Pavel seemed worried about his friend.

"Actually, they already began."

When the three of them looked at where Yuna pointed, they saw Tamarinne was chasing after Al with a white tube balloon on her hands. They both had a mask attached to their heads.

Not long ago, when the march started, it was the noise Al and Tamarinne heard. When they stepped outside, as Tamarinne expected, he was amazed by the festival but instead of following the march, he went from stalls and stalls and Tamarinne had a hard time keeping up with him. Later, Al realized what he was doing and he apologized to her but she did not mind it at all, and just smiled joyfully with him as they both were enjoying the festival.

"Oh, looking good, I'll take it."

Suddenly, Al and Tamarinne saw a woman, who nearly naked her upper body. She had long pink hair and a beauty mark under her lips and she was holding a pumpkin lantern, or what they thought so.

"Come on, Serila. Didn't you say you would save money?" the lantern suddenly spoke on and it surprised them both.

"Oh, just shut up. How can I resist such a beautiful pendant?"

As the woman named Serila and her lantern kept going on, Al and Tamarinne were speechless before they left.

"I wonder how she doesn't get shoulder pain from… you know?" Al commented and he moved his hands in front of his chest.

"Do you like that type?" Tamarinne touched her chest and asked him with her cheeks slightly turned to pink.

"No, never. The last thing I want to see is a three-headed monster," Al replied.

"Ah, like King Ghidorah?" Tamarinne laughed.

"Yeah, like that golden three-headed dragon. He is like walking out from a nightmare," Al said and they both laughed, until they stopped and Al bowed his head, and spoke with his weak voice, "I'm sorry for making fun of women's body."

"Apology accepted," Tamarinne nodded.

When they kept walking, Tamarinne felt everything was transforming. The scene in front of her eyes started distorted. Her steps were heavier but when she tried to get a hold of herself, she saw Al and she did not want anything that interrupted their date. When they walked to several stalls which sold spiders, Al looked at Tamarinne worriedly. He asked, "Are you okay with this place? They are selling spiders."

Realizing what she did to him before, Tamarinne smiled and said, "Nah, I'm cool with them."

"Wait, didn't you scream so terrify before?" he was surprised.

"I just wanted to tease you," she replied.

"Really?" Al tilted his head to the right.

Tamarinne tilted her head to the left and said, "It's true.". And then, tears rolled on her eyes, "Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't mean so," Al startled and he tried to comfort her.

"I'm kidding," Tamarinne laughed as her tears stopped.

"Somehow, you're really scary," Al sighed and commented.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she smiled.

Al and Tamarinne walked to stall where sold masks. He then paid a spider mask for Tamarinne and a wolf mask for him, and he asked, "So… from now on, can I call you, Miss Multifaced Tamarinne?"

Tamarinne kept her smile and did not say anything, until she paid for a white tube balloon and started chasing him around. Eventually, they ended up being watched by Basar and the others.

"The first time I saw him…" Basar smiled when he looked at Al and Tamarinne, then he commented, "… there was something dark on his face. Sadness, anger, and jealousness. I wondered what happened to him but I don't think I will ever need to ask him, since someone is here, with him."

When they were chasing around, Tamarinne suddenly fell down. She felt dizzy and exhausted. When Basar, Yuna, Cerise, and Pavel quickly rushed to them, Al realized something wrong. He immediately came to her. He could hear her heavy breaths. He quickly touched her forehead. It was very hot.

"When did you catch it? And for how long?" Al asked.

"I'm okay…" Tamarinne tried not to worry him.

"You're not," Al replied and carried her up.

"This festival is held annually… and I want to spend time with you," Tamarinne replied. At that moment, they looked at each other and they did not need to say anything.

Al then turned his back on her and sat down. He said, "Get on, I'm carrying you back to the ship."

"But… the festival…" Tamarinne felt embarrassed about his suggestion.

"We can watch them as we return. Come on!" he insisted.

When Tamarinne climbed on his back, she felt nothing but pure happiness. She was so happy that she could not speak in words. As he was carrying her on his back, he followed the march so Tamarinne could enjoy the festival, with him. From a distance, Yuna was smiling happily for her friend, together with the others, and she did not forget to take photos for them.

"Hey Al…" Tamarinne spoke, "From now on, call me Somi."

Al was surprised. He then asked, "But…"

"It is my real name, remember? Tamarinne is only my idol's name, and it is not the real me," she explained.

Al kept silent for a while. It did not take him long enough to understand her feelings. And then, he replied, "Okay, but I only call your name when we're not in the public."

"Agree," Tamarinne nodded and she was waiting.

"So, Somi…" Al called her name in embarrassment. It took him a lot of courage to call her real name but when he spoke it out, he felt even happier. He said, "Thank you… for everything."


	34. Chapter 34

The day after, when the flying ship returned to Reingar, Al went and met his friends, who welcomed him back. After some paperwork, the first thing Cerise and Pavel did was to explore the university, which they enjoyed it, just like Al the first time he came here.

A week later, Al and Tamarinne were having a walk on a corridor, near the baseball field. For some reason, Al seemed very interested in this sport.

"Can you tell me about your parents?" Tamarinne asked and she hoped that she did not bother him. It was pure curiosity.

"Hm… where should I start?" Al did not mind the question at all. He only felt it was a normal thing if she wanted to know more about him. After considering, he started, "Let's start with my father first. He was… kind of an awkward man."

"Like so?"

"Sometimes, he was quiet and sometimes, he was very lousy. But I had never seen he made my mom sad, even once. You remember he was a military trainer, right? In Constella, the army power comes from magic and sorcerers, so my father barely had any work to do. Then my mother encouraged him to go to Perland, where he was shined. But thanks for that, he only returned home once a month. When I was fifteen, he retired and came back to Constella. Most of the time, he spent time doing farm work with other Suin villagers and trained with me. When my mom went to work, he helped her do the housework and he was pretty good with it."

"He sounds like a great man," Tamarinne smiled and commented.

"No, not really. He lived with the motto, when we face a critical situation, ask for women's advice, and do exactly the opposite. He told me that with that method, we can overcome anything," Al said.

"And do you believe him?" she asked.

Al shook his head and replied, "I've never been in such a situation before, so I can't really tell…" then he looked at her, "Maybe he was right."

Tamarinne pushed him slightly and pretended she was angry, while Al laughed joyfully.

"It was all fun until my seventeenth birthday…" Al crossed his arms and looked at the air lifelessly as if he remembered something terrible.

"What do you mean?" Tamarinne wondered.

"On that day, he and his friends forced me to drink alcohol, a lot of alcohol…" Al answered. He still remembered the moment he was the core of the party, standing on a table, drinking cups by cups, while being surrounded and encouraged by many full naked people, including humans and Suins.

Tamarinne was speechless, "That sounds unhealthy, really…" she said.

After that, Al smiled and told her, "Thankfully, when my mom returned, she rescued me and punished them considerably. Miraculously, none of them dared to stand against her. My dad was forced to leave the house in a week, and spent another one on the armchair."

"If I was her, I would do the same," Tamarinne laughed.

"No doubt," he did the same. Suddenly, he turned sad and she wondered what happened. It took Al a few seconds to hold himself when he remembered his mother. Then, he told her, "As you know, I spent my of my childhood times with my mom. Aside from teaching me, she took care of all of the housework. There was a time I thought it was normal, and it was a woman's duty. And then, when she got sick and barely got up, I realized I was deadly wrong. The next couple of days, no clean clothes, no tasty meals, everything was cold and dirty. Despite that, she still tried doing them. And when I tried helping her and did the housework, I realized how amazing she was."

In a second, Tamarinne could clearly see a tear rolled from his eyes. Understand his feelings, Tamarinne crossed her fingers with his and leaned on him.

"Sorry…" Al quickly wiped out his tear, "I shouldn't cry, right? A man shouldn't."

"When we experience a strong emotion, it's okay to cry, whether it is man or woman," she replied and softly comforted him.

"Yeah…" Al nodded. "And when they were no longer at home, I had never felt it that cold and empty before."

He stopped, and Tamarinne did not want to remind him of the pain. He had been through a lot but he never acted like he was the most tragic person in the world. He hid his pain and suffering, and never willed to share it with anyone. He always cheered his friends up but no one had ever done the same to him before. Tamarinne understood his feelings and he did not want him to hold them and keep distant from everyone. She was determined that she would do everything so that he would never feel alone again.

"Come on, let's play some games."

As she said, Tamarinne grabbed Al's arm and dragged him to the baseball field, where both male and female students were playing. When they came closer, they realized Cerise and Pavel were here.

"Al, Tamarinne?" Pavel was surprised to see them.

"Hi," Al greeted him before he turned to the one who was excited the most, "You seem to have a lot of fun, Cerise."

"I already love the game when it came to Aakhen, remember the culture exchange festival?" Cerise replied.

"Too bad that after a few months, it isn't popular as football," Pavel commented. He then looked at Al and asked, "What about you? Which one do you prefer?"

"Baseball," Al answered without thinking.

"Since we're here, why don't we play a match?" Cerise suggested.

Al and Tamarinne looked around and counted everyone before they sighed disappointingly. Al said, "Seems like we don't have enough players for two teams."

"How about we take a few days to gather players?" Tamarinne asked and they seemed to agree before they dismissed.

Three days later, on the baseball field, many students were gathering and sook for a place to sit down. Meanwhile, all the players were surprised. They did not expect to have many audiences here since they intended to have a play-for-fun match.

When Al came to the girl's side, he asked, "Does anyone have any idea what's going here?"

Seeing him, the young researcher, Carrot, answered him, "Well… the idea was Hazel's. When I asked if she wanted to join, she only said "I'll consider". I didn't expect her to organize a match and sold tickets."

"Probably she wanted to make some profits for Reingar's fund," the Reingar's president, Yuna, added.

"I can understand that…" Al sighed. He then looked on the electrical board and asked, "But why the hell should it be "Boys versus Girls"?"

"No idea," all the female players answered at the same time but Al could see some of them was really having fun, including Tamarinne.

"Probably it was Hazel's work as well," Yuna heavily sighed with him. "How is your team doing?"

"They were surprised at first but…" Al replied, and then he stopped when he looked at the boys' team. It seemed like they were having fun as if they wanted to use this chance to prove themselves to the girls. Al said, "I really don't know what to say…"

"Ah, there is a request from Tamarinne," Yuna said.

"What kind?"

When Al was wondering, Tamarinne heard their conversation. She then came to them and answered, "I want you to be the fourth batter."

"Uhm… what's so special about it? I thought every position is equal?" Al asked doubtfully.

"If you don't know, then don't bother with it. Just know that it is a silly request from me," Tamarinne smiled and Al could clearly she was hiding something. He looked at Yuna but she shook her head, as she did not have the answer.

"I'll go back, then."

When Al returned to his team, Tamarinne and Yuna smiled mysteriously, and they even shook hands.

"Now you're satisfied, Pitcher Somi?" Yuna asked.

"Of course," Tamarinne smiled at her. Then, she said, "I want to see him be a pitcher, too."

"Aren't you being greedy?" Yuna opened her eyes widely when she looked at her childhood friend. Then, she commented, "Somehow, I cannot reject the idea that Al is the fourth batter."

"In baseball manga, isn't the fourth batter, who is also the protagonist, the coolest one?" Tamarinne said.

"Yeah, yeah, "my boyfriend is the best", I know," Yuna tilted her head from left and right as if she was annoyed with Tamamine's sentence.

"Did you learn anything?" Pavel asked when Al returned.

"Apparently, this is a match that makes money for Reingar's fund," Al said.

"Yeah, I know where the idea came from," a male student commented. Then he said, "Okay, let's round it up. For unknown reasons, a request from Tamarinne said that Al must be the fourth batter. I have no idea why."

"Because it's an important position?" Pavel wondered.

"No idea. I thought everyone is important no matter which role they play," another male student, who took the shortstop position, answered.

"Well, guess we should just ignore it," Al suggested and everyone agreed with him. He then asked, "So, does everyone finish choosing the positions?"

"We already did. I will be the pitcher, and you will be the catcher," Pavel replied and no one disagreed.

"I think you two would be a good combination. No pressure here but we will depend a lot on you if we want to win this," the centerfielder said.

Al and Pavel looked at each other before they looked at the other's eyes full of expectation. Al unwittingly said, "We'll see."

"So which team will attack first?" the male left fielder asked.

Al slapped Pavel's shoulder when he saw Cerise and Hazel, the secretary of the Reingar president, coming to them. Al reminded him, "Make sure we have the advantage."

"Got it," Pavel nodded and he stepped close to the two girls.

Hazel tied her long hair and drew a coin from her long-sleeve purple shirt's pocket. When Pavel and Cerise faced each other, Hazel was about to toss the silver coin on the air but Pavel stopped her. They then had a little chat and Pavel turned back to his team.

"What were you talking about?" Al asked.

"Cerise wanted to let us bat first. Of course, there was no way I let it slip so I agreed," Pavel replied and the whole team was stunned. Wondering, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"The team who bats in the second half of the inning always has the advantage…" another student commented and it unsurprisingly shocked Pavel. The student then looked at the girl team and said, "Well, at least we have the advantage of fitness."

"How can be you be so sure about it?" Al doubted.

"Well… you know, girls don't have physical strength like boys, right?" he replied.

"If you think so, then you're deadly wrong," Al commented when he was wearing all the necessary equipment. Thinking anything else would not do anything well, Al looked at the baseball and the boy team's positions the last time, before the first batter from the girl team went to the on-deck circle, while the second and the third batter waited for their turn.

When Cerise returned to her team, Yuna asked, "How is it going?"

"As expected," Cerise gave a victory sign.

"But do you think it's okay to trick Pavel like that?" Tamarinne commented. Somehow, she did not like Cerise's action.

"I know. Although we're all here playing for fun, I still want us to win," Cerise smiled. "Besides, compared to boys, our physical strength isn't as strong as them so it is nothing wrong if they go easy on us a little."

The excuse did not satisfy Tamarinne. It was not like she did not like playing the game, it was just that she wanted to play in a fair fight.

Rikoris, a young man who had short black hair, was stressed when he was standing on the on-deck circle. As the team arranged, he would be the right fielder and also was the first batter. Looking at the audience, he was even more nervous. Seeing his body was shaking, Al came close to him and slapped his shoulder softly.

"Guardian Al?" Rikoris was surprised to see him and greeted him formally.

"Right now, I'm not a guardian or anything, just a baseball player like you," Al replied. "What's wrong?"

"I feel like I will make a mistake," Rikoris looked at the baseball field and answered.

"Tell me, who doesn't make a mistake in their life?" Al asked and Rikoris was stunned. The young man did not know how to answer him and he looked away. Al then said, "Don't you forget, we are always behind you. If you make a mistake and fell down, we will pull you up. And remember, it's okay to be afraid, it's okay to be nervous, as long as you know when to stop."

"But sir…" Rikoris still kept his pessimism.

"Instead of regretting doing nothing, why don't you stop thinking and try all your best?" Al said.

"I will try not to fail you, sir," Rikoris nodded.

"You don't have to fail me, or fail anyone. It depends on you whether you want to do it or not," Al replied and the moment he finished his line, he was ready to replace Rikoris by someone else. Fortunately, Rikoris closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked at Al and nodded before he came to the right-handed batter's box.

When the girl team had done preparing their defensive position, Al was surprised that his girlfriend was the pitcher. Needless to say, he wanted to encourage her. When their eyes met each other, they exchanged their smile, and Tamarinne prepared for her first pitch.

"Not good," Al spoke when he realized something.

"What do you mean?" Pavel asked.

In the cheer of the audiences, Tamarinne perfectly struck out Rikoris three pitches, making him leave the batter's box immediately. As expected, Rikoris fell down on his knees and disappointed himself.

"What a waste of time encouraging him," Al sighed.

"Somehow, you aren't surprised with Tamarinne's throws," Pavel commented.

Al remembered the "Cooking with idols" show before. He smiled and replied, "It was not a coincidence when she knocked me out with one strike."

"Huh?" Pavel did not understand what he was saying.

The second and the third male batter stepped out and Tamarinne had no difficulty to strike them. With nine strikes, she threw many types of throws, including fastball, curveball, forkball, and many other types. From behind, Pavel was surprised that fastball was not the only type.

When the boy team came out, as the girl team expected, Pavel was playing as the pitcher and Al was the catcher. The first female batter came to the batter's box and the referee gave a sign of playing ball. Pavel threw the ball at a high speed and Al caught it successfully. However, he realized it was not a strike.

"Ball!" the referee shouted.

"Karzan?" Al was surprised when he recognized the voice of the guardian of time.

"To make it short, Yuna asked me to be a referee," Karzan replied. Then he shouted "Ball!" once again.

"Somehow, you seem to enjoy it," Al commented and Pavel threw another throw, which was seen as "ball" again.

"Walk!" Karzan shouted when Pavel threw the fourth time, which surprised Al.

When the first batter of the girl team walked to the first base, Pavel came to Al and asked, "Wait, why could she walk to the base?"

His question stunned both Karzan and Al. They signed and were speechless with his lack of information. Having no choice, Al had to explain, "The point is not letting them hit the ball, but you have to remove them by a strike. To do that, you have to throw the ball within the strike range, from the batter's knee and the midpoint of their torso. If you throw the ball out of that range, it will be called "Ball" and after the fourth time, they can walk to the first base.". After finishing, Al looked at Karzan and asked, "Did I tell him right?"

"Enough. I guess," Karzan nodded.

"Okay, let's try again," Pavel nodded and it doubted Al.

When the second batter came in, Pavel threw three fastballs, which struck out the batter perfectly. After that, Al could sigh in relief but it was not enough.

"That's impressive," Cerise commented after Pavel's performance. Obviously, she felt proud of her boyfriend.

"Yeah, but that alone won't be enough," Yuna quickly saw the problem in Pavel's throw.

When Tamarinne stepped out, the audiences exploded as their favorite idol appeared. Tamarinne did not forget to wave her hand and greeted the audience. Then she looked at Al and saw his smile, which she smiled back. However, as they were in the middle of the match, they were opponents.

Pavel looked at Tamarinne and was considering carefully. He looked at Al and waited for his signal but Al shook him off. At that moment, Pavel knew no matter where he threw, there was a high chance that Tamarinne would hit it.

"Ball!"

Karzan shouted when Pavel threw the first ball. Al quickly realized what he was intending to do. He quickly gave a signal to Pavel but it was like they did not have a better choice.

And then, Tamarinne hit the second throw. Although Pavel aimed outside of the strike zone, Tamarinne still successfully hit the ball and she quickly rushed to the first base. To make it worse, the ball touched the ground as the left fielder was about to catch it. In the end, it was a "Safe" for Tamarinne. Meanwhile, the first female batter already took second base, making it two runners for the girl team. When Tamarinne had touched the first base, she looked at Al and gave a victory sign, before he did the same to her.

"Oh well…"

Al could not comment anything when the young researcher, Carrot stepped on the batter's box.

"Sorry Al, I…," Carrot wanted to apologize to Al. It seemed she realized what Cerise did.

Al quickly comforted and encourage her, "Don't mind it. Just enjoy the game."

"Okay."

Carrot smiled in relief. She respected him and she knew he would be displeased if she went easy on them. Pavel threw the first ball and it was a strike, and so was the second one. But after the third one, the stands were silent, before they exploded again.

"Nice!"

Al congratulated Carrot for her homerun. Carrot smiled at him before she, Tamarinne and the first batter ran to the home plate. When Tamarinne and Carrot touched home plate, they slapped their hands with Al. It was awkward and weird to the audiences and the boy team, but not with the girl team.

Seeing that, Cerise looked at Yuna, "Is Miss Carrot…"

Not letting Cerise finish her line, Yuna smiled and nodded, "Yeah…"

"So, how does she feel?" Cerise asked.

"Nothing. They are close friends, nothing more, nothing less. And not always a girl and a boy should be a couple, like you and Al, isn't it?" Yuna replied and looked at Cerise, which made her agree without thinking a second. When the girl team was coming out to the field, Yuna wore her catcher's helmet and said, "Besides, Al doesn't look like a guy who gives people hope, or should I say, he's not a male protagonist of a harem manga, after all."

"Huh?!" Cerise wondered what she meant.

After the home run of Carrot, the fifth batter, Cerise and the sixth batter of the girl team came out but Pavel had no trouble striking them out. The boy team finally could have a breath of relief. At the end of the first inning, it was 3-0 for the girl team.


	35. Chapter 35

The second inning started. When Al came to the batter's box, he was surprised to see Cerise was the pitcher while Tamarinne played as a third baseman. When they looked at each other, Al pointed his finger to Cerise, and Tamarinne gave an encouraging sign to him. Since they were playing for fun, Al did not mind it much.

Looking at Al, Yuna smiled but her catcher's helmet hid it. She then spoke, "Al, thank you."

"For what?" Al asked back when he swung his bat. Cerise threw her first pitch which landed near his knee and it was a nice pitch.

Yuna threw the ball back to Cerise and replied, "For not letting Somi wait."

Cerise threw the second pitch and it was a strike again. The fifth batter and the boy team's pitcher, Pavel, was surprised that Al missed the balls easily, but he could not hide that he was very proud of Cerise.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Al asked and Yuna did not answer.

On the audience stand, a young man, who had short white hair and wore clothes full of white, was settling down with his friend. Along with the Heir of the Covenant was the young king of Ezera, Aither. Sitting next to him was his loyal servant and protector, Charles, also known as the Knight Commander of Ezera kingdom. On the other hand, sitting next to Ras was the short light purple hair girl who followed him at the beginning, Mercedes. Lying on her laps was Ras's guardian, Arkasus, a blue and white furball, and he was eating snacks bought by Mercedes.

"Thankfully we are not late," Ras commented.

"Charles, do you know this sport?" the young king looked at the baseball field and asked.

"I cannot say that I know it well, but I'll make sure to explain what is needed," Charles replied. He pointed at Cerise and said, "As you see, the girl who is on the center of the field will throw the ball. Her opponent…"

Charles stopped when he saw Al was the batter. He could not help but smile. He then continued, "Those who wielding the metal bat called "batters" will have to hit the ball. After that, they have to run the base and they can only score runs if they successfully reach the home plate, which is the plate they stand next to when they are trying to hit the ball."

When Cerise threw the second strike to Al, King Aither was surprised that he missed. The young king asked, "So there is no score if the batter misses?"

"That's right. After three times, the batter will be out. And after three batters are out, then both teams will change sides," Charles explained.

"But Al has two strikes, that means he has only one chance left," Ras commented after he connected what Charles said.

Aither looked at Al and asked Ras, "Do you know him?"

"He's another divine guardian," Ras smiled and Aither could not hold his excitement.

Back to the field, after two strikes, Cerise had huge confidence that she would strike Al easily.

"Looks like she underestimates you," Yuna looked at the victorious face of Cerise and commented.

"Surely she is," Al replied.

"Then just hit a home run," Yuna suggested.

Al was surprised by her reply. He asked, "You okay with that?"

"Not a big problem. Besides, it seems someone is pretty upset that you are being underestimated," Yuna said when she looked at Tamarinne.

"Okay then."

Cerise believed that she could defeat Al easily. After two strikes, she lowered her guard. She looked at Yuna and signed that she would throw a fastball toward Yuna's right side, to which she did not oppose. Meanwhile, Al still acted normally.

Then, Cerise threw the fastball. It flew very fast but it was not hard for Al. He swung his bat strongly and the ball was sent to the air. Everyone was looking at it in silence while the left fielder was following it until her back touched the wall, while the ball was still flying until it landed outside of the fence surrounding the baseball field. After that, the audience exploded.

"It's amazing," the young king shouted in amusement.

"Look like someone is underestimating her opponent and this is the result," Charles commented.

As Al ran to the first base, Cerise looked at him and gave a middle finger, which Al did the same to her. When he touched the second base, he celebrated his victory with Carrot, who played as the second base for the girl team. They slapped their hands to each other. And when he passed third base, he did the same with Tamarinne but instead of only one time, they did it three times consecutively. When he returned to home plate, Yuna and he slapped their hands before he left the field.

"Is he the person who fought with you before?" King Aither recognized Al and he asked Charles.

"That's right, Your Highness," Charles nodded. He could not lie that he was very glad that Al was safe and sound.

After Al had left the field, Pavel came to the batter box as the fifth batter. Looking at him, Cerise could not stop smiling. The reason why she wanted to be the pitcher of this inning because of Pavel. She just wanted to play with him but Pavel did not realize it.

The first ball Cerise threw, it was a ball but Pavel swung his bat, resulting in a strike. The second one, Pavel expected it would be another ball but instead, Cerise threw right to the center of the strike zone. Pavel then fully focused for the last one, but he was tricked by Cerise again. Afterward, Cerise jumped in joy. The sixth and seventh batter of the boy team were no different from Pavel.

When the first half of the second inning ended, before he went to the pitcher's mound, Pavel asked, "Hey Al, isn't it as long as there is no out, the batters can score as many points as they can?"

"Yes?" Al nodded.

"Now I understand why you said the team that bats second has the advantage," Pavel realized something. Then he suggested, "Should we prepare signals for pitching?"

Al did not need to say anything as they already had their agreement. When the second half of the second inning started, the long white hair female elf, Iseria, who was Charles's subordinate, stepped into the batter's box.

Al looked at her and asked in surprise, "If I remember right, you are supposed to play as the sixth batter, right?"

Iseria nodded and replied, "Yeah, but after Carrot's homerun, we changed it in the last second, whether Miss Cerise liked it or not."

"Thank you," Al said.

"You're welcome," Iseria smiled.

When the two of them stopped chatting, Al pointed one finger on the ground before drew it back in a second. Pavel saw the signal and he prepared before he threw to Al's left side. The ball flew very fast and Iseria was not able to hit in time, resulting in a strike.

"That's said, I wonder why Miss Cerise is determined to win, even though it is a simple play-for-fun game," Iseria asked when she was preparing for the second ball.

When Pavel threw another strike to Iseria, Al returned the ball to him and answered, "You met Citylord Furious, who is Cerise's father, right? All I can say is "like father, like daughter"."

"I see," Iseria nodded.

The third ball Pavel threw, Iseria successfully hit but the ball flew very low and landed near the shortstop. He quickly picked it up and threw it to the first baseman but Iseria was quicker and called safe. Unfortunately, the eighth batter of the girl team was struck easily by Pavel.

"Here we go."

Yuna sighed in boredom when she stepped into the batter's box. The whole baseball field and the audience stand were silent when they looked at the president of Reingar. Pavel took a deep breath as he knew what she was capable of. He could not let his guard down at any second. And then, he threw the first ball.

"Home run!"

Yuna shouted when she swung her bat. Everyone was silent again, but not because it was a good hit, but because it did not have any power at all. The ball landed on the ground and rolled to Pavel under his shocked gaze and even Iseria was speechless and motionless.

"Pavel, pick up the ball!"

Al shouted and it startled everyone on the field. Iseria woke up and tried to reach second base but Pavel was quicker. He picked up the ball and threw to the second baseman, who threw to the first baseman, resulting in a double-play.

"Damn, they're good," Yuna commented when she left the field.

"No, you're just bad," Iseria signed in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Al looked at Karzan and the guardian of time closed his eyes, and he said, "Don't say anything."

At the end of the second inning, the score was 3-1 for the girl team.

When the first half of the third inning started, the boy team was losing their morale. It was clear that they'd underestimated the girl team. Although Al and Pavel were able to stand on their ground, the others were not. They also felt that, if it was not for the two of them, it could be a called game within a few innings. Some of them were thirsty and looked for water, but they found none.

"What's wrong?" Al saw the strange thing and asked.

"Does anyone have a bottle of water?" a male player asked and they tried to search for one. "It's weird. Normally, the girls are in charge of this."

"And without them, what do you have?" Al asked but none of them could answer. He then looked at Pavel and asked, "Do you have any?"

"No," Pavel replied.

"Don't you often carry your own water can?"

"Well…" Pavel looked away when he heard the question. "Cerise always prepares it for me…" he said weakly.

"Really…"

Al signed in disappointment but it did not mean he did not know what they were thinking. When he was drinking his own water bottle, he said, "Instead of waiting for someone, you'd better prepare for yourself first."

"Al!"

Tamarinne called and waved her hand to him. He looked back and saw her and some female players were bringing water for the boy team. When the boy team sighed in relief, Al came to the girls and helped them. Suddenly, Tamarinne slipped and dropped the container she was carrying. The water bottles inside fell out. Al quickly caught her and the container, before he used it to catch the falling water bottles from the air to the surprise eyes of everyone. And when he thought he was done, a water bottle fell right on his head and the girls could not hold their laughs.

"Was expecting that he caught them all," Cerise smiled.

"He wasn't bitten by a spider, though," Yuna laughed but then she realized they would not understand what she just said.

Back to the boy team, a male commented when the boy team looked at Al and the girls, "Sometimes, it is like no girls hate him. I wonder how he can do that,"

"He's surely popular with them. I wish I could be him for a day," another male player commented.

"Do you ever help the girls?" Pavel asked when he heard the comments. When they heard the question, the boys looked at each other and it seemed they had never thought about it. Pavel then continued, "Do you ever share their jobs without paying back? And do you respect them, equally? Before asking them to like you, you should ask yourself why do they have to like you?"

"But… isn't it normal that girls are often attracted to guys?" another male player asked.

"With that thought, no wonder why no girls like you," Pavel coldly commented.

When Al came back with the water containers, he wondered what they were talking about but he did not mind much. He opened the containers and gave water bottles to the boys.

When they were taking a break before the next inn, Pavel came to Al and asked, "I heard a rumor about Yuna and Tamarinne came from another world, is it true?"

"You can say that," Al replied.

"Do you know anything about that world?" Pavel asked another question but Al shook his head. He then commented, "I guess it is a better world than us."

"Not exactly," Al said. "Either this world or their world, they are the same."

"Even gender equality?"

"You should know better, Pavel. Equality or inequality never relates to gender."

When the first half of the third inning started, the young king asked his protector, "Charles, do you think I can join them? I want to play the game, too. It looks so fun."

"Hm…" Charles looked at the field and thought. Then he asked, "If you promise that you will play seriously and do your best."

"Of course, I promise that," Aither could not hold his excitement.

Charles then looked at the Heir of the Covenant, "What about you?"

"Please join with me, please, please, please," the young king tried to persuade him.

"Well…" Ras did not know how to react. When he looked at Mercedes, she nodded and encouraged him. He then asked, "If Mercedes joins in, I'll do the same."

Charles smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take that as an agreement. But before that, there's someone I need to talk to first."

Tamrinne returned to the pitcher's mound again and she did not have any problem striking the eighth and the ninth batter of the boy team. The next batter was Rikoris but it was clear that he lacked the confidence to step out.

"On your ground, soldier!"

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted from behind. When the boys looked back, they saw a short white haired man with tanned skin, shouting at Rikoris.

"Co-Commander Crozet?" Rikoris was surprised to see the Knight Commander of the Shield from Ezera.

"You're no longer a rookie, Rikoris. Why the fear?" Crozet came close to Rikoris and started a conversation with him.

"Well, sir…" Rikoris dodged his eyes.

"Are you playing this alone?"

Rikoris startled and replied, "No, sir."

"If you're not alone, why are you so scared? Or do you not believe in us? Are we a burden to you?"

"No sir, it's me who burdens you."

"If you think that, then you will always be a burden. Stop being silly and get out there, fight with your heart, and pierce your spear through the heavens."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Seeing Rikoris was gaining a lot of confidence, Pavel slapped Al's shoulder and said, "It seems someone did it better than you."

"Shut it," Al said.

After Rikoris came to the batter's box, Crozet came to Al and greeted him formally. "Allow me to introduce myself, Guardian Al. My name is Crozet Morbihan. At present, I'm in charge of the Order of the Shield."

Al bowed his head politely and replied, "I heard about you through Sir Charles. Nice to meet you. Oh, and you don't have to be formal to me."

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Crozet firmly insisted on his formality towards Al. Then, he asked him, "If possible, could you let me be the next one hitting the ball on the field?"

Al looked at Pavel and he did the same, as they were wondering Crozet's question. When he looked at Crozet's determination, Al felt he could trust this man. He then nodded and said, "Of course, you can. But can I ask if you know how to play?"

"A little, sir. But allow me to say. It doesn't matter if I can hit the ball from Miss Tamarinne or not. I go there to let Rikoris know that he is not alone and there is always someone there to support him. As you can see, Rikoris has the talent but his lack of confidence is what blocks him from moving forward."

"You got the point. Then, please, do what you need. Remember that we are playing for fun, win or lose is not a problem," Al admired Crozet and let him do what he wanted.

"Look like someone did better than you," Pavel teased Al.

"Just shut up already," Al replied annoyingly.

And then, they heard a loud noise from the audience. Rikoris successfully hit and stole the first base.

As they discussed, from this moment, Crozet would play as the second baseman and the second batter. Meanwhile, Rikoris would change from the first baseman to shortstop, and was still the first batter. When Crozet stepped into the batter's box, Rikoris felt more confident. At the same time, Tamarinne was looking at Crozet as she wondered where and how she should throw. After exchanging signals with Yuna, Tamarinne threw the ball. It flew slow and Crozet believed that he would hit it with ease. But at the moment he thought so, it changed direction and moved below the bat, resulting in a strike. Crozet was surprised and so was everyone else. Then, Tamarinne threw the second ball, and Crozet successfully hit it. He tried to steal first base while Rikoris headed to second base. Unfortunately, the center fielder of the girl team, Iseria, caught the ball without error. With that, she successfully removed Crozet from the field, and also finished the boy team with three out.

When the side changed, Pavel stood on the pitcher's mound. This time, he was more confident than the first two inns and he had no problem when he struck out the first and the second batters of the girl team. However, the third batter, Tamarinne, gave him a struggle. He was not capable of throwing other pitches than fastballs, and both he and Al knew it would not work with Tamarinne. The first pitch he threw, Tamarinne hit. Fortunately, it was a foul. Pavel tried again and for an unknown reason, he changed the ball's direction, which surprised Tamarinne, making her swing her bat and resulted in a strike.

"Hey Somi…"

The young idol heard Al called her name. She smiled and replied, "You won't distract me that easily,"

"I love you."

Startling, Tamarinne missed the third ball. Then she stared at Al with her blushing face. With one foul and two strikes, she was out immediately and the girl team's inning was finished. Afterward, both teams and the audience witnessed a short pursuit between Al and Tamarinne, which she chased after him while wielding her bat.

At the end of the third inning, the score was still 3-1 for the girl team.


	36. Chapter 36

Before the fourth inning started, Ras, Charles and King Aither came to the boy team's dugout. Seeing them, the male players were surprised and acted formally. They wondered why three important people came here. After Aither expressed his excitement to join the game, the male players were doubting but they did not dare to speak it out loud.

Al looked at the young king up and down, before he said to Charles, "Can I ask if you are okay with this?"

"It is what His Highness wants but there is no need to treat him specially. When he is on the field, he is equally as everyone. Am I right, my king?" Charles replied and he looked at Aither afterward.

"Of course," Aither nodded.

That said, which position do you think he can be?" Ras asked.

Al took a few moments to think. After considering, he asked Aither, "Are you okay with the first baseman?"

"Anything is good. I'll do my best not to disappoint you," Aither spoke joyfully. Then he looked at the Heir of the Covenant, "Ras, what about you?"

"It depends on them since I'm not sure how to play it right," Ras replied and turned to Al for his suggestion.

"If that so…" Al looked at the baseball field and thought for a minute, before he spoke to him, "I think centerfielder will be good with you."

"Then it's settled," Ras smiled.

"Before we start…" Al spoke and stopped, and then, he picked a metal bat and pointed to Karzan, "The sixth batter."

"What do you mean?" Karzan was surprised.

Charles quickly understood the situation. He smiled and stepped closed to the two of them and suggested, "If you don't mind, Guardian Karzan, I will be the referee."

Karzan did not know what to say but he did not let them wait too long for his answer. He then picked up the metal bat from Al and said, "Thank you, Sir Charles, and Al, too."

From the girl team's dugout, they saw the change of the boy team. When she looked at them, Iseria smiled and said, "Now we're balanced."

And then, the fourth inning began. Standing on the batter's box was Aither, the third batter of the boy team. He was so excited and could not wait to swing the ball. As for Tamarinne, she was surprised that the young king was here. She looked at Charles and saw he nodded.

Aither was still too young and lacked experience for the game. He swung every time Tamarinne threw and missed three times. Even so, Charles did not hesitate to announce that Aither was struck out. Rules were rules, after all.

"I'm sorry," Aither returned to the boy's dugout and spoke in disappointment.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. We can't always hit a ball from such a strong pitcher like her," Pavel tried to comfort him.

Then, Al stepped into the batter's box. For some reason, he could feel Tamarinne was very annoyed after he made her miss the ball from Pavel in the previous inning. Needless to say, Tamarinne would play to her full potential. Al hit the first ball but it a foul and he did not swing his bat when she threw the second ball. And then, both of them stopped for a few seconds. Everyone and everything was silent. Tamarinne slowly raised her arms before she threw a fastball but Al successfully hit it. The ball flew very fast, touched the ground before it hit the wall. The female right fielder, Mercedes, ran to the ball and picked it up quickly but Al had already passed first base. He thought he could reach second base before Mercedes threw the ball.

But he did not.

Suddenly, something grabbed his leg when he was running, resulting in his face landed on the ground. Everyone was shocked except for two persons. When Al tried to stand up, it was too late and he was out by a precise throw from Mercedes to Carrot, the second baseman. On the ground where his leg was, a bunch of grasses transformed and bent to the other ones. After Al left the field, Tamarinne and Iseria exchanged a thumb up.

When Al returned to the stand, Pavel interrogated him, "How the hell could you slip like that?"

"I didn't slip. Something grabbed my leg," Al replied.

"Doesn't sound like a good excuse to me," Pavel insisted.

"It is," Karzen said and no one could say anything else.

Although he still did not understand, Pavel came to batter's box afterward. Tamarinne threw the first ball and Pavel let it fly past him. He was very impressed and surprised that Tamarinne's fastball did not lose any speed. He tried to swing two more times, but she still struck him out perfectly.

When Karzan stepped into the batter's box, Yuna was surprised and asked, "I've never thought you're interested in baseball."

"I know," Karzan replied as he swung his bat, but it was a strike.

"And I thought you would hit it easily since you're a guardian," Yuna commented when she threw the ball back to Tamarinne.

Karzan prepared himself for another pitch and said, "Originally, every guardian was a human. We can tone down our power back to our mortal form.". After his speaking, Karzan swung his bat again but he still missed. He commented, "Tamarinne is really amazing. I still can't believe a shy girl like her can hold such a capability. No wonder why she is suitable to be an Heir."

"Tell me, Karzan…" Yuna returned the ball to Tamarinne and asked, "Will she be happy in the future?"

"If I tell you the future, then it might no longer happen anymore," Karzan prepared himself for the last chance. Once more time, he could not see Tamarinne's fastball. With three strikes, he was removed from the field and the turn changed back to the girl team. Before he came back to his team, Karzan answered Yuna, "But there is still some exception, in this present, though. And you don't have to worry about them."

Yuna did not need to ask any more questions when she heard the answer. She then smiled and said, "Thank you."

When the girl team's lineup was preparing, Al saw a little change from it. It seemed the sixth batter would be Iseria, as they originally planned. From the line-up, it seemed the bottom of the fourth inning would be very difficult for the boy team.

When Carrot stepped on the batter's box, Al teased her, "Wanna hit another home run?"

"If possible," Carrot answered with her smile. As she prepared to swing her bat, she felt something strange with Pavel's throw. She swung and missed. After that, she spoke, "It seems he is improving."

Al did not say anything and it was enough for Carrot to understand his thought. The second time was another strike but she hit at the third, though wealky. The ball rolled close to Aither at first base, \ but he missed the ball and the right fielder had to support him. Carrot did not waste this chance and ran to the base.

The next batter was Cerise. When she looked at Pavel, she knew she would not hit his pitches easily. As she expected, Pavel threw a slider for a strike. When she did not notice, Al gave a signal to Pavel which made him unsure. Nevertheless, he still followed him and threw the ball. Cerise hit and she started running, as well as Carrot. However, after the ball landed on the ground and started rolling, the shortstop, Rikoris, quickly caught the ball and threw to the second baseman, Crozet, before he threw back to Aither. Thankfully, Aither caught it successfully, resulting in a double-play. It was very close for the boy team.

When Iseria came to batter's box, Al commented, "Seems like both teams are balanced."

"Can't say I disagree," Iseria took a deep breath and focused. When Pavel threw a fastball, Iseria kept her calm and swung the bat at the perfect time, scoring another home run.

"It was me who made you fell down," Iseria smiled at Al when she started running.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Al replied but he held no grudge against her. When Iseria finished her running, Al asked, "Did Tamarinne ask you?"

"Yup," Iseria smiled. Then Al slapped his hand to her to congratulate her home run.

The seventh batter, Mercedes, who joined the girl team recently, stepped on the batter's box. Judging from the looks, Al could see that this sport was new to her. When Pavel threw the ball, Mercedes hit it and it flew very high before it landed in the centerfielder, who was Ras. Despite that, they still smiled at each other. The fourth inning ended with four-one for the girl team.

At the top of the fifth inning, Ras, the eighth and the ninth batter came out. When Tamarinne was throwing, Al looked at her and realized something. He then said, "Tamarinne is starting to feel tired. Her fastball is slower than before."

Pavel then looked at Tamarinne and saw she struck out three batters consecutively with only fastballs. He then asked Al doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Al confirmed.

When Ras came back, he praised Tamarinne, "They are truly fast. From the outside look, I couldn't think they could be that fast."

"And you seem to have a lot of fun," Al said.

"Because it's really fun," Ras replied.

At the bottom of the fifth inning, the eighth, the ninth and the first batter of the girl team lined up. However, Pavel had no difficulty to strike them out. At the end of the fifth inning, the score did not change.

When the top of the sixth inning started, Rikoris, Crozet, and Aither prepared for at bats. Rikoris successfully hit the ball after two balls but his hit was stopped by the third baseman, Cerise. After that, Crozet hit the ball after two strikes but he was not able to send the ball fly far enough to reach the base before he was thrown out. Meanwhile, Aither hit the ball at the first pitch, though weakly, and the ball landed near him and Yuna. Afterward, Yuna picked up the ball the threw to the first baseman, removed him immediately.

As the bottomf of the sixth inning, although the second batter of the girl team was out, Tamarinne successfully hit the ball and ran to first base. When it came to Carrot's turn, she surprised everyone again with another home run. After that, Cerise stepped into the batter's box, she hit Pavel's first pitch and was able to run to the first base. When Pavel tried to strike Iseria out, he failed and she managed to send the ball fly very far, which was enough for Cerise to run to the home plate. To make it worse, Mercedes successfully hit the ball and let Iseria score one more point. Fortunately for the boy team, the eighth and the ninth batter were struck out. At the end of the sixth inning, the score was 8-1 for the girl team.

When Al, Pavel, and Karzan prepared for their at-bats, they could feel the heavy atmosphere from the boy's stand.

"You were right, Al. You were right," a male player spoke in shame.

Al wondered, "What do you mean?"

"That we should not underestimate the girls," he replied without looking at Al.

"No worry, we still have time," Al smiled and encouraged them before he stepped into the batter's box.

Once again, Tamarinne and Al faced each other. Strangely, they did not feel displeased with each other. Instead, they were having a lot of fun. As for Tamarinne, she really liked to spend time with Al, whether he was her opponent or not but she knew he would not like it if she went easy on him, so she knew she had to play as her best. As for Al, he could not hide the fact that he was always amazed by Tamarinne, and being with her would always be his precious memories.

"Foul!"

Charles shouted after Tamarinne threw her first ball and Al responded with a hit, but the ball flew backward, which meant he only had two chances left. Although he could see the tiredness on Tamarinne's face, he was surprised that Tamarinne was still able to throw a fastball, which he missed. He felt that it could be the fastest ball she threw in this match. The more he thought about it, the more he admired her.

Another fastball was thrown and Al managed to hit it, but it flew closed on the ground. Mercedes tried to catch the ball but it landed on the ground and passed her. Using this chance, Al ran and successfully reached first base. Even though Al hit her ball, Tamarinne only felt proud of him and they exchanged victory signs together.

When it came to Pavel, the tiredness started hitting Tamarinne. She then stopped throwing a fastball and diversified her pitches. Pavel was surprised at first but he managed to hit the third time and ran to first base. Meanwhile, Al ran full speed and reached second base in the nick of time.

When it was Karzan's turn, he tried to stay focused. He knew he could not underestimate this Heir. On the other hand, it was a long time since the last time he could be this joyful. It was so long that he thought he had forgotten this feeling. Then he thought, maybe because of someone here, he could feel it again.

Tamarinne kept her focus and breath as she was sweating. With two runners and no outs, there was a high chance that the boy team would score in this inning. As much as she wanted to see Al run to home plate, it would be unfair. After a few seconds, she threw a fastball and struck Karzan out. The guardian of time was surprised at the girl's stamina that she was able to throw such a high-speed ball. He then took a deep breath and focused, waiting for the second one.

And he succeeded. As he saw Al and Pavel were preparing to run to the next base, Karzan swung the bat strongly and it flew very fast.

"Ouch!"

Suddenly, the ball was hit by Karzan accidentally hit Al on the head, knocking him down instantly in the shocking eyes of everyone.

"Carrot!"

While everyone did not understand what was happening, Cerise picked up the ball, called Carrot, and threw it to her. Although Carrot was startled, she still managed to catch the ball and tag second before she threw back to the first baseman.

"Tr-Triple-play?" Even Charles was surprised at the situation.

When Al woke up, he felt something soft below his head, and he also felt something cold on the left side. He opened his eyes and saw his loved one was taking care of him. His head was placed on her laps and a small ice bag was placed on his head. No need to say, she was very glad that he awoke.

"Ouch!" Al grunted when he touched at the place where the ball hit.

"Careful," Tamarinne reminded him. She then asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, thank you," Al replied and they both stood up. "How long did I sleep?" he asked.

"We're already at the end of the eighth inning."

As Tamarinne replied, after Al was being taken care of, they went to the bottom of the seventh inning. Pavel managed to strike three batters out. In the top of the eighth inning, Cerise replaced Tamarinne as the pitcher. She was good but not as good as Tamarinne. Ras was managed to hit her ball and ran to second base. Although the eighth and the ninth batter of the boy team was out, they still hit Cerise's pitches and sent them high enough for Ras run to the home plate and scored one point. Unfortunately, when Rikoris stepped into the batter's box, he hit a pitch but the defensive players of the girl team caught the ball on the air, removing him immediately.

Then the bottom of the eighth inning started. Carrot and Iseria succeeded to reach first and second base. Mercedes managed to hit the ball but it was caught by Ras again. However, Carrot was able to run to the home plate and scored one more point. Iseria and the seventh batter was thrown out after reaching the base unsuccessfully. At the end of the eighth inning, the score was 9-2 for the boy team.

When the top of the ninth inning started, the boy team was hoping for a final chance to score a tie. Before they started, Al picked up a metal bat and came behind Karzan.

Karzan turned back when he felt something uneasy, and he was not wrong. "Triple-play, huh?" Al spoke emotionlessly.

Seeing Al was chasing after Karzan, Cerise asked, "What are they doing?"

"Warming up," both Tamarinne and Yuna laughed when they saw the scene.

After that, Crozet stepped into the batter's box. Looked at the lineup, Tamarinne knew what she wanted to do. She threw the ball and Crozet hit it easily. The ball flew fast and landed on the ground. Iseria caught it before she threw back to the first baseman but Crozet already reached it. The next batter was Aither. Instead of swinging without thinking as before, Aither tried to stay calm and watched the ball closely. After two strikes, he bunted the third pitche. Although Aither was not able to reach the first base, Crozet managed to run to the second base.

When Al stepped into the batter's box and faced Tamarinne once again. Everyone was silent. The audiences had two different opinions. One wanted Tamarinne to win, the other one wanted Al to score a hit or better, a home run. Meanwhile, the boy team wondered if Al willed to hit Tamarinne's ball while the girl team did not worry much.

As for Al and Tamarinne, they had so much fun and they did not bother with anything. Tamarinne prepared and threw the first pitch. Al swung but he missed. It was a perfect slider. Tamarinne threw another one but it ended up being a ball. After that, they both smiled at each other and did not think anything anymore.

Tamarinne took a deep breath and threw the ball with all she had left. It flew very fast and in response, Al held his breath and swung his bat strongly. The ball was sent threw the air and flew to Iseria. The female elf tried to follow the ball and catch, but she knew she did not need to do it anymore when the shadow of the ball left the field.

The boy team shouted in hope and joy when Al scored another home run. With one runner, Al had batted in two runs, narrowing the score. When Al ran to home plate, he looked at Tamarinne. They both smiled with no regret, only joy. Al also did not forget to celebrate with Carrot and Yuna. When he stepped on home plate, Tamarinne came to him and he picked her up. At that moment, they did not care what everyone was thinking, whether it was jealous of Tamarinne's fans, or awkward looks from the boys, or the support from the girl team.

"Alright guys, we still haven't finished yet," Yuna clapped her hands and the girl team laughed.

After throwing the ball, Tamarinne was exhausted and the pitcher position was given to Cerise. The next batter of the boy team was Pavel. Cerise managed to trick Pavel but she could not do the same with Karzan. He successfully scored a home run. The next batter was Ras and he reached a single. When the eighth batter stepped into the batter's box, he tried to stay calm and hoped that he would hit and managed to run to the base. But in the end, the eighth batter was struck out and the girl team did not have to play the bottom of the ninth inning. The result was 9-5 to the girl team.

After saying goodbye to the audience, the boy team came to the girl team and apologized for underestimating them, which the girls did not bother much. When they were chatting friendly, Al carried Tamarinne on his back and came to Hazel, who was checking the money from sold tickets. Together with her was Yuna.

"Do you need anything?" Hazel asked when Al and Tamarinne came to her.

Without saying anything, Al took the money box and gave it to Tamarinne before they left. Hazel was surprised and tried to take the box back but Yuna was faster. She said, "You used them to make money so it was their right to take a share of it."

No need to say, both teams were happy when they got some money. After taking their shares, Al and Tamarinne returned the money box to Hazel, before they left the baseball field with both teams.

Shaking the box, Hazel looked to the inside. She stayed silent for a while before she commented, "Better have something than nothing."

When they left the baseball field, the boys and the girls were having fun talking with each other. As for Tamarinne and Al, it was still another happy day, full of joy and happiness. And they both hoped those days would last forever, until the end.

* * *

**THE END**

Author's note: Well, that's all. Thank you for reading and I'm very sorry if you're not enjoying it.


End file.
